SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

TROTTING. METROPOLITAN ACCEPTANCES. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Feb. 7. The following acceptances have been received for the Metropolitan Trotting Club’s summer meeting: SPREYDON HANDICAP; one mile and five furlongs.—Mushroom scr., Peter the First, Reta Rose Isec., Marvolo 2, Marama Girl, Renown, Roi Alto 3, Arcadian, Bonette, Wandelllgong 5, St. Quentin, Imperial Victor 7, Bon Elect, Lady Lena, St. Peter, Swiftest, Vigor-

JUVENILE HANDICAP; one mile and five furlongs.—Betrayer, Ratana, Latona 2sec., Grade Thorp 4, Totolta, Tiger Mac, Pinevaie, Yanco, Edith Chimes 5.

LINWOOD HANDICAP; one mile.—Lord Minto scr., Ben Dillon 2sec., Lens, Birdwood, Rorke’s Drift, Lord Lytton, King Karri, Star Queen, Bell Fashion 3, Lear Dillon, Joyful, Childwood, Soprano, Landlord, Letitia, Peter Mac, Gipsy King, Gold Queen, Bundura 4, Doreen Dillon, Watchman 5. MIDSUMMER HANDICAP; two miles.—Man o’ War scr., Whispering Willie 4sec., Partner, Vice-Admiral 6, Jack Arrah, Goldstream, Agathos 7, Nancy Stair, Vilo 8, Locanda Dillon, First Carbine 9, Nellie Scott, Colenut, Sympathy 11. CASHMERE HANDICAP; two miles.—Homeleigh Dick scr., Marvin Junior 2sec., Olive L. 4, Kola Boy 6, Gay Wilkes 9, Mushroom, Wahinepai, Pieter Timmerman, Tradesman 11. FRENCH HANDICAP; two miles.—Lear Dillon scr.. Star Queen Isec., Hiram Galindo 2, Dandy Chimes 3, Prinzora 5. Don Durfee 9, Waipero, Final Leave, Stormy, Bushchild, Outstep 10. LIVERPOOL HANDICAP; two miles.—Wild Briar, Gold Queen Isec., Lord Lytton, Rorke’s Drift, Oaknut 2, Mako Mako, Doreen Dillon 4, Loganwood, Prince Lyons, Lady Joan 5, Miss Edith, Madeline, Peter King, Albert Wallace, Prinzora, Colchester, Royal Chance '6. CRAVEN HANDICAP; one mile and a quarter. —Willie Lincoln scr., Marie Tempest-'2sec., Chid, Paul Dufault 3, Dlllonwood 4, Ben Dillon, Emperor, The Dingo, Guynemer 5, Glen Mavis, Our Girl, Legacy 6. DUNEDIN SCRATCHINGS. Dunedin, Feb. 7. Jazz has been scratched for the Publicans’ Handicap, and Raconteur for ail engagements at the Dunedin Cup meeting. ' AUSTRALIAN HANDICAPS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Melbourne, Feb. 7. One hundred and nine horses have been handicapped for the Newmarket Handicap. Eurythmic is top weight with 10.3, Mermin has 8.11, and Biplane 8.9. There are eight

in the Australian Cup, Eurythmic being top weight with 10.1. No New Zealand horses are left in. THE TARANAKI MEETING. FIRST DAY TO-MORROW. (Notes by "Moturoa”.) First-class acceptances are carded for the opening day (Thursday) of the Taranaki Jockey Club's autumn meeting, and the gathering promises to be one of the best ever held on the local course. Already a good number of outside trainers with their teams —from Auckland to Canterbury—have arrived, and, considering the times, a good number of visitors will be present at this week’s meeting.

Quality rather than quantity is the outstanding feature of the open sprint events, and the club is fortunate in having such horses as Gloaming, Silver Link, Absurdum, I nah, Income, Capping Day, etc., engaged. The Taranaki Cup has filled well, and there is not a bad one In the ten paid up for. Marqueteur, Landslide, Truthful and Income have all won recently, and Affectation, Silver Link, Egmont Park and Stork have run into places, so the field should be the best conditioned that has been seen out for years. All the minor events have filled well, and those who are fortunate enough to attend are assured of tip-top sport.

Marqueteur, fresh from victories fit Hawera, must command respect in the Cup, while Affectation (whose owner has taken on the longer race in preference to the Flying) is also well placed. Vespucci's form at Hawera Is too bad to be true, but possibly he has gone off. Silver Link is an unknown quantity over ten furlongs, but Landside (who recently won the Takapuna Cup) can be depended upon to see the distance out. Truthful should hold Income safe, but Egmont Park and Stork may beat the pair. On paper Landslide appears to have an undeniable chance, but Marqueteur and Stork will keep the northerner busy.

Silver Link, if started, is sure to be a warm order in the Flying Handicap, but the writer prefers the chances of Inah and Capping Day at the weights. If Silver Link is really one pound better than The Hawk, as Mr. Coyle estimated, she may win, but the lightweights look better on Hawera running. The thirteen hurdlers engaged will keep punters busy on Thursday. Opiate is not overweighted, but the All Black gelding doesn’t seem to be able to win a race—nothing but seconds and thirds being his share—and few close followers of racing care to plank their coin on an unlucky horse. Active ran a nice race on the concluding day at Hawera with the same weight as he has at New Plymouth, and is sure to be in the picture here. Banogue mislaid his dash after Marton, and Prodigal has not raised much enthusiasm since the Taranaki Christmas meeting. Fibre must be respected, and if (as stated) W. H. Bowden will do the riding, "Dick” Brough’s prad will be hard to .beat. Complex reads best of the lightweights. Absurdum is head and shoulders above the crowd engaged in the Juvenile Handicap, and even with 10.13 must be given a royal chance. Capping Day has her full share of weight, and Danger Zone, Leithfield and Pirouette all appear more attractive. In fact, if Pirouette would be depended upon to run straight, she would be certain to be in the money. Simonides has a good load (10.3) in the Mimi Welter, and Kuia and Passin’ Through should hold him safe. With any luck in running Kuia will take a lot of beating. Another tough proposition confronts punters in the Okato Hack Handicap. Muraahi cannot be treated lightly, even with 9.3; and Sunny Jim, Lady Nassau, Redlogue, Molleen Oge and Skylight all appear to have reasonable chances of success. This scribe is uf the opinion that Muraahi is such a good horse over the distance that he will be there or thereabouts at the finish. Still Sea won so easily at Hawera that a rise of 13lbs may not trouble him in the Timaru Handicap. Voluble made a bold showing over six of the seven furlongs in the Inaha Handicap at the same pace, and looks the pick of the handicap as it now stands. Petunia may be the best of the lightweights. W airarapa, Ardath and Pirouette appear to be the best performed of a poor lot in the Moturoa Electric Hack Race.

The Auckand contingent was brought down by the Rarawa yesterday. Mr. E. W. Alison’s team comprises Landslide, Illumination and Tireless; Mr. W. G. Stead has sent Truthful and Absurdum; and Mr. E. Sharp brought Nighttime, Polini and Miss Meiva. TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa".) The Canterbury J.C. summer meeting, since it has been a one-day fixture, has dropped into insignificance as a purely local gathering, and Saturday’s meeting was on the same lines. Nevertheless some interesting racing was witnessed, and some surprisingly good "prices” were paid by anticipated winners. In the absence of Farceur (who is suffering from a cold) the Greenwood stable relied upon Pluto in the Middle Park Plate, and the son of Sutala had no difficulty in leading Winning Hit from start to finish. Twice previously has the race fallen to a Greenwood representative, Emperador scoring in 1913 and Biplane in 1917. Sir George Clifford has had a great innings in the Middle Park Plate, and since 1905 has won the race with Stronghold, Glenculioch, Fleetfoot, Sharpshooter, Madam Madcap, Antagonist, Autumnus, Adjutant, Good Hope, Winter Wind and Winning Bit.

As anticipated, the Oaks winner, Palestrina, landed the Midsummer Handicap from a good field, and paid a false price. The time, 2mln 34sec, was good considering that the track was a trifle "dead” after recent rain.

Moorland won the Lyttelton Plate for Air. G. Rutherford first time out, and the Canterbury sportsman must now be well pleased with his bargain.

Songbird appeared to be a good thing for the Craven Plate, as did Vasilkov in the Halswell Handicap; yet both were allowed to pay nice dividends. Another good "price" was returned by Giantkliler (Autumnus—Brave Heart), who scored in the Trial Stakes—a race which Sir George Clifford won with Counterstroke last year. Gloaming, whose appearance in the Taranaki Stakes is being eagerly looked for, has a record of 36 firsts in 41 starts.

A northern scribe states that Mr. B. L. Joll has had an unusual experience in the two-year-old races at the Takapuna meetings. Last season in the spring his filly Armorel looked to have the Cambria Handicap at her mercy, when she ran off the course at the home turn, and finished third. A similar thing happened at the recent meeting, when Mr. Joll’s gelding, The Dunce, was out by himself in the Hobson Handicap, but ran off at the same place, and was narrowly beaten into second place.

The impossibliity of carrying on racing under present conditions is shown by the figures of the recent Foxton annual meeting. Although permission was granted to reduce stakes by £lOOO, and "compllmentaries" were drastically curtailed (sending the gates up to £800), a loss was shown on the meeting. Not only did the club lose, but owners lost that extra thousand and ten per cent, of their stake winnings as well. The only "winner" was the Government, which held out its greedy paw for £3201 Ils, made up as follows: Totolisator tax, £1023 Os 6d; stakes tax, £300; dividend tax, £1799 6s; amusement tax, £79 4s 6d. The energetic secretary, Mr. Len Freeman, and his confreres, did everything possibe to make the gathering a success—which it undoubtedly was from the patrons’ point of view—but the odds were too great for them, that was all. Other clubs are in the same unfortunate position, and until William Massey sees fit to modify his exorbitant demands, not five per cent, of racing clubs can hope to pay their way. It is a matter which the clubs should take up immediately; otherwise almost complete stoppage of racing, or financial bankruptcy of racing clubs, must follow. The racehorse Dunedin (imp.), by Linacre— Royal Silver, owned by Mr. W. R. Keraball, dropped dead while being worked at Opakl on Thursday last. Dundin ran sixteen times last season, and won four times (including his first three starts). He also rah two seconds and two thirds.

An exchange reports that Desert Gold, who is in foal to the imported sire King John this year, will probably be mated with Absurd.