SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 April 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

| ENGLISH RACING. Ry Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, April 19. At the Epsom spring meeting the City and Suburbaji Handicap resulted: Paragon 1, Monarch 2, Granely 3. There were ten runners in the City and Suburban Handicap. Archibald, the American, rode the winner, his first success in England. Childs rode Monarch, and Donoghue Granely. BOOKMAKERS’ STRIKE AT EPSOM. London, April 19. The big bookmakers struck at Epsom to-day against the demand for 33s 6d admission to Tattersail’s ring, instead of the customary 22s 6d. The club was finally compelled to reduce the fee to 22s (jd in order to make the bookmakers’ return. SYDNEY YEARLING SALKS. Received April 20, 10.40 p.m. Sydney, April 20. At the yearling sales Mr. C. “Eloar secured a colt, half brother to Belinda, by Magpie—Malta, for 975 guineas. A Lineacre—Far Away cbit, half brother to Dick Meagher and Vespucci, realised one thousand guineas. TARANAKI DISTRICT COMMITTEE. The monthly meeting of the Taranaki District Committee was held at New Plymouth last night. Present: Messrs. L. A. Nolan (in the chair), O. W. Sole, G. Fraser, A. E. Washer, B. H. Chaney, and J. Gray. Apologies were received fr. m Messrs D. - J. Malone, S. Pitt, J. McLeod, and A. Good. A renewal of his jockey’s license was granted to Wm. Ayres, whilst ail apprentice jockey’s license was granted to Rei Tito. The conditions for the Ninth Taranaki Stakes, to be run in February, 1923, were approved. The secretary’s action in sending to the conference certain particulars to the unpaid forfeits list on account of the Egmont Racing Club was confirmed. Two accident claims were approved, and will be forwarded to the general trustees, Christchurch. The North Taranaki Hunt Club’s application for September 2 as the date for their annual meeting was approved. TURF TOPICS. (By “Moturoa.”) On Saturday there will be racing at Dunedin, Avondale and Greymouth, and the Avondale meeting concludes on Monday. A further attraction next week will be the Hawke’s Bay autumn gathering, which is set down for Wednesday and Thursday. Most sports have had enough of the game, for a time at least, the Easter carnival being a particularly strenuous one. though not without its recompenses. “Moturoa” was only a srpall boy in knickers when he heard the remark: “You want to be careful of these Taranaki jokers. They’ve always got something up their sleeves,” and the significance of the observation was once more brought home to the writer after a perusal of Easter results. Taranaki is apt to be treated lightly in matters connected with racing by its bigger brothers—Auckland, Wellington and the rest —but the “’battlers” of the butter province have often shown their opponents a point or two, and never more forcibly than during the recent Easter carnival. 'l’ake Feilding. for instance. To pull off the open distance event each day (with Marqueteur and Volo); both open sprints (with Irapuka and Roman); and four other events as well (not forgetting seven seconds and four thirds), was a feat that will take some beating. Boiled down, it means that Taranakiowned or trained horses tore off £2040 of the £4OOO offered in stakes money, and the list of winning horses makes interesting reading. It is as follows: Marqueteur £420. Volo £2BO, Roman £235, Ttapuka £2lO. Sunny Jim £175, Crossfire £l4O, Erie £l4O. Pouma £lO5, Kuin £BO, Lady Nassau £6O, Passin’ Through £5O, Velociform £4O, Simonides £4O, Otapawa £35, and Haligan £3O.

When Percy Johnson lit out for Auckland he made no secret of the fact that he expected to win a race with Income, and in running third in the Easter and winning the Autumn Handicap his confidence proved to be well founded. Income has evidently come on a heap since Johnson took »him in charge, and apparently Mr. Eaves sold the son of Guianforte too soon, which is all in the luck of facing, anyway. Income will sport silk again at Avondale, and this time (it is safe to say) he will not go out paying such a price as he returned in the Autumn at Ellerslie.

Punters who laid odds on about Gloaming in the Challenge Stakes on Tuesday went within an ace of losing their coin, for on weighing-in it was found that George Young could not turn the scale. The shortage was almost 1% lbs —the full limit allowed in a flat race —so that it can be realised what a close call the champion had. Gloaming has now won the Challenge Stakes three times, in 1919, 1921 and 1922.

With the advent of the winter facing season, the names of several notable jumpers begin to appear in the nomination lists. Coroglen and Oakleigh figure in the Chevalier Steeples at Avondale, and Gladful and Sleight-of-Hand in the Mangatarata Hurdles at Hastings, The quartette singled out have won most of the big jumping races in the Dominion.

A good number of Taranaki sports broke the journey, returning from Feilding. at Wanganui in order to witness the boat race, but all are agreed that it was a dull, one-sided, dispiriting affair. Tn fact, one sport told the writer that the only excitement he noticed was the hubbub caused by a small boy (dressed in his Sunday best) overbalancing from the top of a willow tree, and taking a header into the stream!

The acceptances for the richly-endow-ed All Aged Stakes at Avondale are hardly worthy of the stake, but a meeting between Rational. Thespian, Epitaph and Absurdiirn should be interesting. Caught at his best, Rational should have a lot to say in the settlement of the event.

Mireusonta was sore when raced at Awapuni. and the trouble was intensified at Riccarton, when the speedy Absurd gelding cut up badly in the Great Easter, for which he was greatly fancied. Most people questioned the wisdom of running him at Awapuni after his two hard races at Trentham. and cf course everybody is wise now!. . M,-. K. D. Duncan’s gelding Vindictive, by Martian —Miss Birkenhead, carrying Ic>p-weigbt (8.13). was sent out a warm favorite in the Park Stakes, one mi e, a. Hawkesbury (N.S.W.) on the Bth iaat., »»d beat a fair field in convincing

style. Last season Vindictive started a dozen times in New Zealand without registering a win. He must have improved a whole lot. Eurythmic’s defeat at Randwick suggests that the champion is on the down grade. It is sad to see a great horse j "lagging superfluous” on t£ie course, and ! Mr. E. I-ee Steere might reasonably consider sending the son of Eudorus to the stud. Beaufbrd’s brilliant victories over twelve and eight furlongs—easy wins in very fast time —suggest that Dick Mason was probably wise in keeping Gloaming in the Dominion this Easter. Gloaming would have nothing on a prad that can run a mile in “37,” and win pulling up! Died in Wanganui on Wednesday, af- : ter a long illness, Frank Flynn, one of : she straightest and gamest horsemen i that ever threw a leg over a saddle.: Krank was a well-known and extremely 1 nopular Hawera hoy, and news of his death will cause deep regret from one end <>f the Dominion to the other. On the turf his principal successes w®. re achieved over fences; and amongst the most notable were the Great Northern Steeplechase on Waimai; the Hawkes Bay Steeplechase on Fagot; and the Napier Steeplechase on Lingerer, hoeman and Khartoum. Requiscat in pace.