SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 March 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

TURF TOPICS. [ (By "Moturoa”.) Acceptances for the Opunake Racing Club annual meeting close to-morrow (Friday), at 5 p.m. Mr. H. Coyle’s weights leave little cause for complaint, and the number of acceptors should be large. With Rational out of the Opunake Cup it was quite anticipated that Egmont Park would hold the place of honor, and he is quite capable of running out a good mile and a quarter under 9st, though many may prefer the chances of Kareao 8.1, Passin’ Through 7.9, and Sunny Jim 6.13. The St. Patrick’s Handicap is another open event, but Income 9.2, Festive 7.8, and Armorel 7.0 read well. Complex 11.0, Fibre 10.1 and Halcyon 9.13 appear to be the pick of the hurdlers, and in the minor events Big Push, Voluble, Molleen Oge and Hori are nicely placed. The Marlborough R.C. summer meeting opens to-day, and will be concluded to-morrow. Today’s acceptances are first-class, and on recent form Esperance, Mountain March, Pitch Dark, Doucement and Missland should show up at the meeting.

Mr. J. E. Henrys has not been harsh on Ngata in awarding him 9.13 In the Rangitikei Cup, and most students of form considered that he would have got about 10.2. However, it is not at all certain that Mr. J. Bull will start the horse —the odds are against Ngata going to the post. Egmont Park 7.13 should hold Crucelle 8.0 safe, but Muraahi 7.3, Equitable 7.1 and La Paloma 6.9 all appear to have fair prospects.

Lady Kotiripo 7.4 appears to have ueen given a great chance in the Scott Memorial Handicap (six furlongs) at the, Rangitikei meeting. Fibre 10.3 ,is nicely treated in the Hack Hurdles, and Whiritas 8.3 looks the pick of the crowd in the Carnarvon Hack Handicap. Lively Fire 8.0 should go well in the Ngatiapa Hack Handicap (five furlongs), and Sunny Jim 8.3 in the Parewanui Weiter (nine furlongs).

Considerable rain has fallen at Bulls during the past, ten days, and the course proper and plough are in good order. Patrons should communicate with the secretary, Mr. H. A. Goodall, re accommodation, the club being in a position to cater for over fifty persons at their own accommodation house, while fine, roofny stalls on the course can shelter over sixty horses.

Stare, who won the richly-endowed Essendon Stakes at Flemington on Saturday last, runs in the colors of Mr. E. Eccles, who recently bought The Cypher at a tall figure. The Napier Park autumn meeting takes place on Friday and Saturday. Truthful and Anomaly are fancied for the Napier Cup, and Grotesque and Fulsome overshadow their opponents in the Flying Handicap. They have a queer way of doing things in France. In order to start the New Y’ear with a clean slate, all jockeys and trainers who got Into trouble in 1921 were pardoned by the various racing societies, and were given another chance. Such generous treatment is unknown in this Dominion, where, once a man is "down”, they keep him down, and never give him a chance to rise again. From the shearers’ board to the hookies’ ring is the leap that “Stepper” Mercer made in Sydney in a few weeks, and over there he is known as the man who cannot go wrong. Starting at Canterbury Park with £2, he played it all up on four winners, and netted £l5OO. Other lucky wins followed, and now he is a bookmaker with a bag that has a healthy rattle. Incidentally, he joined the ranks of the owners, and his purchase. Lady Popinjay, scored “first pop”. I would rather shake hands with him than with Ratana! Perhaps his luck might be "catching”. "Bill” Massey continues to be the biggest winner at race meetings, and after he has had his ''cut” there Is mighty little left for the clubs or the owners. The Otahuhu Trotting Club’s summer meeting was a “royaler" for William, whose share of the spoils ran to £7091 7s sd, made up as follows: Totalisator, £2208 3s; dividends, £3975 12s; gates and booth, £5l Is; amusement tax, £lB6 6s sd; stakes, £670 ss. The Government’s share was more than the total amount of stakes split up amongst all the winners at the gathering. Mr. F. E. Loomb voices a complaint in the Auckland Star which shows how the Government "grab” is driving owners out of the game. He started a horse In a race worth £lOO, and if he had won the stakes would have been reduced as follows: 20 per cent to the man from whom he leased the horse, 10 per cent, to the Government; 10 per cent, to the trainer; 5 per cent, to the jockey; nomination and acceptance, £3; train freight, £s,' board and lodgings for trainer and boy and box for horse, £7 10s: plating, 10s; leaving the munificent sum of £39 for the owner. It is no game for a "battler”.

"Ernie” George’s best stake-earner at present is Hipo, the three-year-old son of Potoa and High Jinks, the latter being a full sister to Some Boy 11, by Cyrus—The Tart. Hipo won the Stewards’ Handicap at New Plymouth on December 26, and since then has won the Cambridge Handicap at Hamilton, the Borough and Thames Valley Handicaps at the Thames, and the Electric Handicap (on Monday) at the Te Aroha meeting. Some sprinter, Hipo ;