SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1922, Page 3

SPORTING.

THE AUCKLAND MEETING. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Dec. 5. Royal Present was scratched for the Auckland Cup at 10 a.m. MR. J. R. CORRIGAN HONORED. Mr. J. R. Corrigan has been made a life member of the Waimate Plains Trotting Club, and, at a meeting of the committee of the club this week, was presented with a gold medal as a token of the honor that had been conferred upon him. On one side the medal was inscribed with the words, "Life member’s medal. 1922," while on the reverse side were the initials of the name of the club. Mr. B. McCarthy (president' said that for the past eight years Mr. Corrigan had donated the cup for the principal event at the club’s annual meeting, and he had also supported the club by the nomination of horses for various events. The members desired to present Mr. Corrigan with a gold medal as an emblem of life membership, which he had much pleasure In handing to him. They felt djpr.v grateful to him for the way in which he iiad furthered the interests of the club. The advice Mr. Corrigan had given them from time to time had been very welcome.

Mr. R. Morrissey, in endorsing the remarks of Mr. McCarthy, said that Mr. Corrigan had not only taken a keen Interest in the club, hut in sport generally. He hoped that Mr. Corrigan would long continue to be a. patron of their meetings.

Mr. Corrigan said what he had done for the club, had been a labor of love, and as a sportsman he had only done his duty. In endeavoring to assist the club he had not looked for any reward; he liked the sport, and, being in a position to help the club, had considered it his duty to do so. Some people thought they should have no sport at all, but the country had not degenerated to such an extent that it was necessary to kill all sport. He thought that people should be allowed to enjoy the sport they liked best. He would! be very pleased to wear the medal. The Waimate Plains meetings was now regarded in both the North and South Islands as the best one-day trotting meeting in Now Zealand, and he hoped that, having arrived at that position, they would never look back. He was glad to see that the’- were keeping the stakes up, though other clubs, owing to the slump, had been obliged to reduce them. This spoke well for the (management, and was generally appreciated by sportsmen. Mr. Corrigan concluded by thanking the club for the medal and the honor of life membership. TURF TOPICS. (By "Moturoa.”) Execrable weather again prevailed at Fellding on Saturday, and patrons, horsemen, and all concerned deserved medals for seeing the meeting through. But every 'cloud has a silver lining, and on Saturday a whole hunch of favorites strolled home tn cheer the damp, dispirited punters. Rational and Merry Day repeated their first day’s successes, and form worked out well with Woden. Aeriform, Kilbird, Good Mark, Admiral Codrington. and Dainty Step, though the latter’s second place did not add to the dividend list. Woden, who was unlucky to go under to Passenger in a close finish on Thursday, won comfortably, and It. is hard to see how an extra stone will materially hinder the little, sen of Hym Titus at Woodville on Saturday. Sir Fanciful, "the unlucky," was paying a little over "evens” for second place, but three-nuarters of a pound under-weight, robbed his unfortunate backers of even such a small return. Passenger’s backers were on the point of tearing up their tickets when the glad news filtered out that second place (and dividend) had been awarded to the black gelding, whose backers just about got their money back. With The Hawke absent, the Orua Stakes was the softest of soft things for Rational. who returned—not a Gloaming dividend, as most papers stated—hut an even shorter “price” than the champion son of The Welkin returned when ho won the same race last year. Aeriform, a flve-venr-old gelding by Acrostic—Miss Trumps, hailing from "Jim" Coyle’s stable at Marton, had no Refrigeration to beat in the strangelynamed Novice Stakes, and won easily, giving his backers little more than the bare satisfaction of having backed the winner. Kilbird. who was noticed running on at the end of seven furlongs on the first day, turned that second Into a first over a mile and fifty-four yards, while Good Mark, who scored on Thursday, heat all hut the useful Waipatu in the Nikon Hack Handicap. Waipatu was the best of . the day, and how most; punters reasoned that Refrigeration was more entitled to respect than a horse that finished alongside a brilliant customer like The Hawk, and was dropped to backs, and relieved of IGlbs. to boot —goodness only knows I (This is not "writing after the race”: practically the same thing was written in these columns on Saturday morning). Admiral Codrington. conceding 21 lbs. and Sfilbs. respectively to Bumptious and Blissfulness on the opening day, managed to run third in a mile and fifty-four yards event, and with a stone and a half off his back on Saturday he gave the winner (Merry Day) a good race in Manchester Handicap. So much for "form.” Tips, whispers, chats, dreams, etc., come nff sometimes, but give me good old "form.” He wins in the long run.

Punters were nicking ’em well on Saturday. Commencing with the Hurdles, Woden (first) was favorite, and Passenger (eventually placed second) was second choice. Kick Off let backers down in the York Handicap, only running third, the winner fMartian Miss) being third in order of favoritism, and the runner-np (Dainty Step) second. Aeriform and Tongatotoa were first and second, in placing and favoritism alike: as were Merry Day and Admiral Codrington. and Rational and Deluge. Refrigeration, slightly better backed than Wnipatu (first). ?ould only secure fourth berth in the Nikau Handicap. Kilbird was first favorite and first to the judge’s box tn the Rongotea Handicap, Comical (second favorite) being TDht up third. The only surprise that the hnndtcnpner "sprang” was in the conclud-

ing event, when Eerie (favorite) ran like a goat, and <hc sixth favorite, Hallowrnz (Hallowmas—Nf/ 'oz) sneaked home by the narrowest of margins from the unlucky Helen Rufus (a good second favorite). Hallowroz returned a good double figure dividend—the biggest of the meeting.