SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES. Feb. 22, 24—Wanganui Trotting Club’s Annual. I Feb. 23, 25—Wanganui Jockey Club’s Autumn. March 1, 2—Dannevlrke R.C. Autumn. March 2, 4—Nelson Jockey Club’s Annual. March 10, 11—-Napier Park R.C. Autumn. March 17—Opujiake Racing Club’s Annual. March 22, 23—Rangitikei R.C. Annual. WANGANUI WEIGHTS. Tte following are the Wanganui weights for the first day WIRITOA HANDICAP. One mile and 110 yards.—Equitable, Sunny Jim 9.3, Flying Nell, Helen Rufus 8.5, Mark Time 8.4, Erie 8.3, Lady Nassau 8.1, Scion 8.0, La Paloma 7.13, Redlogue 7.13, All Cerise 7.9, Complex 7.6, Molleen Oge, Vindictive 7.4, Tireless, Legato 7.2, Rada, Regapoto, Atopo 7.0. STEWARDS' HANDICAP. One mile and 110 yards.—Vespucci 10.1, Volo 9.13, Radiant Light 9.7, Ngata 9.5, Kinsem 8.13, Crucelle, Simonides, Sycorax 8.5, Income 7.13, Blackmail 7.12, Bonny Heather 7.10, Callaghan 7.8, Illumination 7.5, Muraahi 7.3, Passin’ Through, Martial Dawn 7.1, Halifax, Askari 7.0, Warrawee, Matatua 6.11, Ruatara, Prince Martian 6.10, Kuia 6.9, Idle Talk, Quest, Armorel 6.7. WESTMERE HURDLE HANDICAP. Two miles.—Maniahera 11.13, Simon 11.2, War Loan, Te Maire 10.4, Sunray 9.11, Halcytfii 9.6, Khartoum 9.3, Fibre 9.2, Rowan 9.0. VICTORIA WELTER -HANDICAP. One mile and a distance.—Hatifapc 9.11, Sunny Jim 9.7, Erie 8.8, Lady Nassau, La Paloma 8.4, Wheatfield, Redlogue 8.2, Merry Queen 8.0, Pantier 7.13, Vindictive 7.9, MJolleen Oge 7.8, Zenith, Rada, Torquin, Good Mark, DanilolT, Left, Hindi, Tireless, Prince 7.7. JUNVENILE HANDICAP. Five furlongs.— Mountain Lion 9.10, The Emperor 8.12, Ad Astra, Valerie 8.11, Killashandra 8.10, Sir Otway 8.1, Wake Up 7.12. Enthusiasm 7.10, Pirouette 7.3, Zany 6.10, Snatcher, The Linnet, ywtnkie's Wheel, Artois, Menthe 6.7. PETRE HANDICAP. Six furlongs.—Still Sea 10.3, Danger Zone 9.5, Voluble 9.3, Mereusonta 9.2, Lady Kotiripo 8.12, Fabrinade 8.11, Mockery, Flying Nell 8.9, Mark Time 8.4, Wrangle 8.3, Roman 8.2, Mixture, V6lociform 8.0, Whirltius, Lively Fire 7.12, Crossfire, All Cerise 7.11, Creme de Menthe 7.7, Roset 7.6, Pam 7.2, En Route 7.2, Yolande, Moonstruck, Eonmark, Torquin, Qtaparoa, Atapo, San Franette, Pipi, Hindi, Advent 7.0. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. Truthful is handicapped at 9.11 In the Wa - nganui Cup, TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.”) The feature of the week’s racing has been the success of Taranaki-trained horses away from homd. Volo won the big race each day at Woodville, and Active, Sunny Jim and Hipo won races at Hamilton. Recent form at Hawera /nd New Plymouth suggested that they would be hard to beat in their respective ana punters were fully alive to the fact, muct; to the sorrow of the Bar A good number of local sports intend going down to Wanganui next week for the racing carnival. There will be trotting on Wednesday and Friday, and gallops on Thursday and Saturday. Good fields and keen racing should be witnessed.

The writer was at Woodville on Wednesday and was struck with the poor attendance and crumped speculation. Woodville itself looked “dead,” andz not even the promise of first-class racing attracted ttic crowd. The course was in fine order, and the appointments are right up-to-date. The weather was ideal, a nice cool breeze "setting off” the summery beat. Of those on the course quite two-thirds were women, the m&mbers of the stronger sex evidently belpg too busy harvesting or worrying over the income tax. Things were very different to recent years, and it is a bad look out for clubs racing this winter. Volo never looked better in his life than when he paraded the birdcage prior to contesting the Woodville Cup, and Mr. H. J. Eaves made’ no secret of the fact that he expected the Husbandman gelding to win. This he did, and handsomely, never being further back than third or fourth, always under a strong pull, and when given his head in the straight he came away and won like a good, game horse. Considering that Volo had 8.13 in the saddle and covered the mile arid a quarter in 2trti». 7 4-ssec. in easy fashion, it was a great gallop. Aureate, with Ashley Reed up, was next best backed after Volo, and three furlongs From home fell right away. Deser* Gold’s sister >s a great, big, ovetgrtJwn filly, and she will be bettor at four years than at threeKilgour was not nearly ready, but Paoanut stripped well, and was responsible for most of the pace. She battled It' out strongly with Volo, and paid a false • ice—much,-more than the winner.

Festivity was finishing on strongly in the Woodville Cup, after hating an interrupted passage, and with any luck would have Deen third. Bagdad went scratchily In his preliminary, but he was going strongly in fourth place at the right end. When the tracks get softer he is a sttfc winner. Chimera stripped rather “pretty” for the Ruahine Handicap, but was made a good favorite, with Birkie, Bodyguard and Astinome next in demand. Astinome held a commanding lead entering the straight, but closed up like a book, and Birkie assumed the lead, only to go under to the favorite *n the last few strides. Chimera’s effort* was a great one. She could not go the pace In' the early stages, and with half the distance gone was quite ten lengths behind the leaders. * From the home bend she came with a great burst of speed, quite reminiscent of her old time fonm, and won on the post. Bodyguard quite failed to reproduce his Trent! am form, and looked as *if he required a good spell. The By By progeny wSre well in the limelight at Woodville, and another, Honey Bee, a full brother to Celinisia, won the first Handicap Hurdles from end to end. Battle Song joined him at the last jump, but the Hawke’s Bay gelding forged ahead again after a stirring set-to. War Loan was fancied by his party’ for the hurdles, btit he would not gallop a yard, and tailed off all tl e way. Bairnsdale had no show over the distance, but Rowan saw it out. Lady Upcott jumped poorly, and Sling Camp let his party down rather badly. Demades is a failure as a hurdler. Seven nice two-year-olds sported silk in the Sapling Stakes, Peneus (Boniform—Blue Lake), a half brother to Little River, being an odds on favorite. Lucius (Lucullus —March) trained by F. Davis, was another likely-look-ing sort, as was Pillage (Solferino—Raid). Songbird’s sister, The Linnet, is a beautiful filly, but she was shy of die crowd, and shaped very greenly. Peneus drew No. 1 and got the best of a fair start. He was never l eaded, but had to be kept going to get home from Pillage, who finished very fast. Lucius was a good third, with Gold Light alongside. Of the crowd it might be said that Pillage is most likely to see a better day. Lady Kotiripo continued her profitable career In the Whariti Hack Handicap, for which she was a trifle better backed than Edendale, Mountain Peer and Spare Moment in a small pool. Five Eighths flattered his supporters to the distance, where Lady Rot1 ’ rino Slave Mart and Hullowroz joined in. A •rrea’t race home saw Lady Kotiripo score narrowlv from Slave Mart and Hallowroz. Slave Mart paid a better "price” than the

Backers were astray in sizing up the field in the County Hack Handicap. Kilreid was best backed, but there was also good money for Dissertation and Bestir. Dissertation looked a winner’to the turn, where the little faneiejF (but consistent) Mountain March came through' and won by ,a length, whicl - might hive been increased If her rider had wished. Bestir carried his 9st. well, but was too far out of the picture at the beginning to quite

was a strong order in the President’s Handicap, hut Askari and Little River also came in for supi>ort. When the tapes lifted Little River stood on the mark and lost a lot of ground, but he was quickly rushed through on the rails, and at the end a o£ in fronti

Little River took on all opposition and was still in front at the distance, but in the run home 9st. 121 b. told its tale, and Makere and Askari just headed him in the last twenty yards. Ridden patiently. Little River would have won, and nothing else. Zircon was fourth, but his showing was not brilliant. Bonny Briar, as usual, ran unkindly. Flying Nell, by Quin Abbey—Brown Nell, has been talked about a lot lately, but her behaviour in the birdcage and at- the post has sickened most punters of her. However, she was on her best behaviour on Wednesday, ;:nd taking the -lead three furiongs from home, won the Victoria Hack Handicap nicely. Pontier. who finished second, might, have done better, if something had not happened to his gear at the critical momeht, and Sir Wm came fast in third place. The favorite, Rada, was early in the lead, but failed to run on. Pleasure was never prominent, and Fera, who was hecond favorite, was never dangerous. The Volo-Chimera "double” was backed for a lot of money each day at Woodville, and the layers received a bad gruelling. Springtide, who narrowly defeated Rowan on the second day. is a five-year-old .nare by’ Autumnus—Ebbtide, i Vplo, Chimera, Mountain March and Fly'ng Nell were double winners at Woodville. The Egmont Club has decided to allocate £3625 in stakes for its winter meeting. The secretary submitted an interim balance-sheet of the summer meeting to the committee the other evening showing a loss of £2150. It was mentioned that the Government were taxing the sport out of existence, as taxes amounting to £4099 17s, with the addition of an amusement tax of £55 17s, lad been paid. AGAINST THE TOTALISATOR. The annual dinner given by the Gimicrack Club Is always noteworthy from the fact that tho chief guest of tho evening delivers a speech l on racing affairs. Lord Jersey was the speaker at the function held last- month, and he made it quite clear that he Is against the introduction of the totalisator on English racecourses. In the course of his speech Lord Jersey said“ Twenty years ago 1 was very much m iavor of it—now I should view with uneasiness any efforts to introduce it here without t.hu fullest consideration and great forethought. My real objection can be expressed in on,e sentence: You would not have ic without inviting legislation as a first step, and without the risk amounting almost to a certainty of State Intervention as well.” The London Field, in commenting on Lord Jersey’s remarks, coincides with his views in* the fullest degree, and remarks“ That the pari-unutuel system of gambling can by means of a tax or percentage on the amount of money passing through the machines be made to yield funds available for more than one purpose we know, but money is not everything, and we are bound to say that our own experience and observation of the pari-mutuel system of gambling Is that its introduction ir, followed by an enonmous increase of gambling throughout the country, and is, moreover, seriously detrimental to the best interests of racing. Wc could say more — much more—but for the moment will merely express our conviction that the Introduction of the* pari-mutuel is bound to be followed — not Immediately, perhaps—by tl:e centralisation of courses and State intervention—if not entire control We tire, at all events, certain of one thing--that nowhere in the world is the grand old sport of racing so ) free from evil-as it is in this •ountry a.nd Iwe look more than doubtfully uo<u wh.>t the effect of the Introduction '>>’ the parimutuel system of gambling might b-.”