SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

TAKAPUNA MEETING.

FIRST DAY’S RACING,

LANDSLIDE WINS THE CUP. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. The opening day of the Takapuna J.C. summer meeting, postponed from Saturday, was held to-day in fine weather. The course was in good order and there was excellent racing. There was a very large attendance and the totalisator handled £69,395 10s, against £56,327 on the first day of last year’s summer meeting. Results: TRIAL HANDICAP; seven furlongs.— Jolly Gay (Lindsay) 1, Irish Knight 2, Pengwen 3. Also started: Phyllona, Royal Present, Te Akitai, Esplanade, Election, Master Rohan, Delysian, Pentagram, Herchies, Gwenette, Marble Top. The winner led after the first furlong and won by a head, a length and a half separating second and third. Time, Imin 30sec. ZEALANDIA HANDICAP; seven furlongs.—Namutere (McCormack) 1, Truthful 2, Clonmel 3. Also started: Gold Kip, Esthonia, Pente, Archie, Nighttime, Queen Abbey, Bute Sound, Broadwood, Penona, Sir Huon, Wrangle. A good finish among the placed horses. Won by half a length, a length and a half separating second and third. Penona was fourth. Time, Imin 29sec. \ -

HAURAKI HURDLES; one mile and a half.—Stirrup Cup (Wall) 1, Miss Melva 2, W(harepoa 3. Also started: Snake, Signorella, Lady Lyddite, Pepin, Otara, The Gleaner, Myall King. Wharepoa led for a mile, and Stirrup Cup then assumed command and went on to win by four lengths, a length and a half between second and third. Signorella fell at the third fence and Snake fell at the last. Time, 2min 51 4-ssec.

TAKAPUNA CUP; one mile and a half. —Landslide (A. Reed) 1, Tinohoro 2, Geoffrey 3. Also started: Uncle Ned, Boomerday, Canowindra, Poinui, Sylvan, Marble Slab. Uncle Ned lost several lengths at the start. Tinohoro, Poanui and Boomerday led the field for a mile, when Boomerday dropped back. Entering the straight Landslide challenged, and though carried out in the straight by Tinohoro boring over, won by a neck. Geoffrey was two lengths further back and Marble Slab was fourth. Time, 2min 34 l-ssec. FERRY HANDICAP; six furlongs.— Midget (L. Manson) 1, Gold Bud 2, Narrow Neck 3. Also started: Fort Regal, Fife and J'rum, Polini, Tireless, Smoke Concert, Rosinante, Miss Hester, Battleplane, Star Love, Dardanella, Selwyn Abbey, Wish Wynne, Steeda. A good race between the placed horses. Won by threequarters of a length, a similar distance separating second and third. Smoke Concert was fourth. Time, Imin 16sec.

CALLIOPE HANDICAP; five furlongs.— Morose (McFlynn) 1, Florent 2, Ad Astra 3. Also started: Sir Otway, Refinement, Lady Lois, The Dunce, Lu Dot, Our Prince, Finelu, Tactful, Bonny Canny, Just, Dorinda, Owen. Morose led practically throughout, and won easily by three and a half lengths, a neck between second and third. Tactful was fourth. Time, Imin 1 2-ssec.

OREWAf HURDLES; one mile and three-quarters.—Thrace (Copestake) 1, Rathlin 2, Guerre a Mort 3. Also started: Auburn. Rathlin led to the last hurdle, where Thrace came under the whip and won by half a length, three lengths between second and third. Time, 3min 18sec.

STEWARDS’ HANDICAP; six furlongs. —Golden Bubble (O’Shea) 1, Prince Abbey 2, Tama a Roa 3. Also started: Radiant Light, Illumination, Cool Stimulants, Dovelet, Infante, Poet, Prince Charleroi. Golden Bubble jumped out first, led throughout and won by two lengths. Cool Stimulants was fourth. Time, Imin 14 4-ssec.

RACES AT HAWERA. PROSPECTS DISCUSSED. (By “Moturoa..”) Although acceptances carded for tomorrow’s races at Hawera are fairly good on the whole, bigger fields might have been expected in the Cup and Flying Handicaps, but owing to a combination of unfortunate circumstances many owners of big teams have not paid up for their horses, and the gathering will be somewhat marred by their absence.

To begin with, the Whenuakura bridge has not been repaired as quickly as promised, and the Railway Department has put every’ obstacle in the way of southern owners desirous of racing at Hawera. Certainly a nine miles walk does not seem unsurmountable for a racehorse, but the trouble of loading and unloading twice, and the risk of riding or leading a highly-strung thoroughbred over a road congested with extraordinary traffic are not likely to appeal to owners and trainers. Then again the postponement of the Takapuna meeting on Monday and Tuesday precludes the majority of jockeys from fulfilling riding engagements at Hawera, and this drawback may be responsible for heavy scratchings. Of course it is qtjite possible that Mr. C. O’Connor (starter) and some jockeys will catch this evening’s Main Trenk, and will motor from Hunterville in the morning. Thia is a better plan than motoring from Marton, as it means a saving of an hour. Our Hawera friends we to be sympathised with, but the fields are still quite big enough to ensure good racing, and the presence of Gloaming. Thespian. Silver Link, Rational, Vespucci, Rouen, Volo and other good ones should attract good attendances.

The Hawera course is looking very well at present, recent rains causing the grass to come on well, necessitating cutting once a week. The training tracks are first-class, and are well patronised. some 65 gallopers and 25 trotters being exercised there daily, as well as a number of visiting teams during the past week. The grandstand fence has been painted recently; also the caretakers cottage and various sheds; the cost being over £4OO. Very handsome entrance gates have been erected at the main (Waihi Road) and Fantham Street entrances, and the £6OO expended in this direction is well spent. Visitors will notice, in addition, the well-kept grounds, flower plots, etc., and the club’s property is in every way a credit to the town and district.

Vespucci is likely to be a warm favorite in the Egmont Cup, and the Flying Handicap will see big money wagered on Silver Link (if started), Income and Cclmisia. Fancied candidates that have paid up in the minor events include Simon, Zola, Still Sea, Crossfire, Muraahi. Lady Nassau. Cold Steel. Kuia. Maniania, and Cochineal. If Gloaming, Thespian and Rational go to the post

for the Egmont Stakes a pretty race should result. The first race starts at 11.45 each day. Mr. G. D. Greenwood’s horses left Wanganui for Hawera on Friday, being walked through from Waverley" to Patea. While on this subject it appears a strange thing that sheep and cattle for the freezing works are being conveyed north as far as Whenuakura, .but horses are denied carriage beyond Waverley. Our railways play strange pranks.

TURF TOPICS.

(By “Moturoa.”) The Takapuna meeting will be con’ eluded to-day. Te Kuiti weights should appear today. k Excellent racing is assured at Hawera to-morrow and Thursday.

Maniahera was sore after racing at Ellerslie and is being spelled. A Wairarapa scribe reports that Old Mungindi has been put in work again. e lt was bound to come. There is a prad named “Dempsey’* entered at Hamilton.

There is still a lot of talk about two alleged “crook” races at Marton, and it is rumored that an inquiry will be held shortly. “Tommy” Long had All Cerise looking very well at Trentham, but the filly had bad luck to bump up against a hot member like Whipping Boy in the Douro Cup, and had to put up with second money. Angelo, who just * struggled home in front in the Maiden at Wellington, is a three-year-old gelding by Kilbroney— Angelina. He carries Sir Geo. Clifford’s “chequers,” and is one of his few representatives that was not bred at Stonyhurst.

Sir Roseberry, with twa seconds and a first, raced most consistently in jumpers’ flat races at Trentham, and such a good jumper should not be long in winning a decent hurdle race, though he has cost his followers a ton of money in small stick events in the past.

The N.Z. Referee has a tilt at horseowners fbr the repetition and unimaginative racehorse nomenclature prevalent during recent years. This scribe has said the same things hundreds of times, but why blame the I owners? Surely there is someone at me head of racing in the Dominion who can pass or “pass out” names that are confusing or ridiculous.

The Wellington “stooards” don’t care whose corns they tread on, and, as anticipated by those who saw th<» race, they promptly challenged the running of Egotism in the Consolation Handicap on Wednesday. After fully considering the case the following was the official verdict: “The stewards are dissatisfied with G. Young’s handling of Egotism, but. taking into consideration the fact that the horse was interfered with by the tapes being carried right through the race by a horse in front, no action would be taken.” Ahem.

It is on the cards that Sonnino (Signor—Helen Portland) will be put into work again very shortly in view of racing during the autumn and winter meetings. Sonnino won several races a few years ago, and has been hunted during the last couple of season*. The trotting authorities in New Zealand appear to be playing into the hands of the bookmakers in coupling on the totalisator all horses trained by one mentor in each race, and in consequence owners who fancy one individual horse in a stable are forced to go to the layers of a straight-out “price” against their fancy. In New Zealand, where the only official method of wagering is per medium of the totalisator the owner has to be content with a small totalisator dividend (often on a “rough” chance), or break the rules of racing and go to the bookmaker. Concerning this ; a South African paper states: At Durban (S.A.) meetings until recently, only horses in the same ownership were coupled on the totalisator. This led to discontent when some outsider from the same Stable but in different ownership from the couples horses, won a race, and at Clairwood (near Durban) in November the system of bunching the lot from one stable was tried. It pleased the public, arid while it could be fairly argued that the system was unfair to owners, it was also pointed out that they could bet with the books if they thought they had a winning chance. There are times though when an owner does not think his horse can quite win, but might get a place, and then it is rough on him that the fact of being coupled with a (avorite from the same stable precludes any chance of a decent dividend.

In the Otago Witness (Dnnedin), Sentinel has the following shot at stay-at-home handicappers: “The man does not exist, never did exist, and never will exist who could frame satisfactory handicaps without seeing the form on which he has to base his figures. Second-hand knowledge is very rarely found satisfactory, and newspaper reports of racing must necessar-

ily be very limited and minus what might prove costly details. Despite this indisputable fact, some of our official v. eight-adjusters seldom go far from home.” I quite agree with the writer that seeing racing, and reading descriptions of it are very different matters. A handicapper should see as much as possible of the horses he has to weight, as otherwise he takes the risk of having his work marred. No such slur can be cast upon Mr. Bert Coyle, handicapper for Taranaki and Egmont. Tne popular little weight-adjuster is all over the country, and what he misses isn’t worth noting. Taranaki is well served in this respect, and our southern contemporary, evidently writing of handicappers in his district, is likely to be taken as sponsor for the whole sporting Press of New Zealand. The Pahiatua meeting attracted a good attendance on Saturday, though fewer than usual went from Wanganui and Rangitikei. The tote figures slumped badly, but racing was fairly interesting. and recent form was a good guide to winners.

The scratching pen accounted for ten oi the seventeen carded for the Maiden, and Merry Day and Matareka carried the bulk of the investments. Matareka was treated to a “fly,” and stalling off Merry Day in the run home, won

Punters were astray in sorting up the field in the County Hack Welter. Sir Wai was favorite, but received a bad passage, and the winner turned up in Fera (Feramorz —Gazalie), who just struggled home from Lady Witehet and Royal Gift in a punishing finish.

A ton of money went on Dissertation in the Hack Flying, but Rose of Athens made a one horse race of it, being followed home by the. rank outsider, Megan. Both dividends were very big. Six lined up for the Pahiatua Handicap, Printemps. Esperance and Festivity being mofct in demand. Convention (carry ino- ’2l lbs. over) and Matatua made the early running, but Esperance and Festivity appeared on the scene at the home turn. A good finish resulted in favour of Esperance by a length, Festivity just beating Matatua for second place,’ with Printemps fourth. Kail and Redlogue were the elect ef

backers in the Konini Hack Lady Kotiripo led to the turn, where Edendale ran to the front, and holding his own in the run to the pbst, scored nicely from Redlogue and Kail. The winner’s running earlier in the day vwas the subject of an inquiry, and he certainly ran a much/better race, for F. Corlett than he did for H. Godfrey, and the stewards expressed themselves as being very dissatisfied with Godfrey’s effortMn the Hack Flying. A good field lined up for the Makuri Hack Handicap, the consistent Passionless being a good favorite. Chant Royal and Dpucement were always prominent, and the last named stayed on best, beating the favorite z (who came very fast) by a narrow margin. For some ■unaccountable reason the chances of Kikini were preferred to those of Waimatao in the President’s Handicap,, but the old horse easily .cut down the opposition in the straight and won anyhow.

Proceedings were concluded with the Welter Hack Handicap, which was voted a good thing for the All Black gelding, Kail. Birkeneßa and. Pitch Dark alternated in leading to the distance, where Kail came through in great style and won easily, ‘

The secretary of the Manawatu Racing Club states that the amount paid out by his club in taxation to the Government for the summer meeting totalled £12,321 14s 6d. The effect of the increased taxation levtecj »y tne Government on the “Sport of Kings” is readily seen in that the club’s summer ,meeting for the preceding year, which, 'despite its larger turnover, realised only ' £99114 14s 2d in taxation.