SPORTING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 3071, 16 December 1908, Page 3

SPORTING.

RACING. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. / The American crack, Colin, has won over £30,000 in stakes. Royal Soult is credited vvitjtt having registered a good trial over six furlongs at Takapunc Goldon Slipper the high-priced daughter of Multiform and Aura, is again in training at Randwick. A colt by Marvin Wilkes, the trotting that was imported irom America some time ago by the Allendale stock farm, won a threeheat race in California in 2min 20sec, 2min 16|sec, and 2min 20sec. Over 50 American owned horses were recently landed in England, with a view to racing there next season. This is the outcome of„the anti-betting legislation passed by the State of New York. Latest advices from India state that the Australian horse Fitzgrafton is doing well in his training, and hopes are entertained that he will establish a fresh record by winning the Viceroy's Cup for the third year in succession. Vamose, the three-year-old brother to the sensational Flying Fox, won a race just before the last mail left England. At the beginning of this season he was looked on as likely to be in the front rank of the three-year-olds, but this is his first success. A race in a Canadian town was ridden by a jockey aged 103. The man is s French Canadian named Taillifer, and he began his racing career as a stable-boy at the age of 18. Since then he has ridden in qver 6,000 races. To celebrate his 103 rd birthday, he donned spurs once again, and secured third place in the race in which he competed. Advices to hand from Sydney state that Maranui is making a good recovery, and strong hopes are entertained that the bay son of Malatua will again be found carrying Mr O'Brien's colours when the autumn rolls round. Had Maranui remained sound, it is contended that Mr O'Brien would have had a great chance of landing the Melbourne Cup with the bay horse. Robert Sievier, the erstwhile owner of Sceptre, and proprietor of the "Winning Post" newspaper, is a busy man these days. He is suing J. B. Joel—who recently prosecuted him on a charge of blackmail—for libel, laying heavy damages, and the engineers' union is going at him (Sievier) for libel in his paper, the "Winning Post." With Sievier the plaintiff, and Joel defending, the recent'position will be reversed with a vengeance. Sievier revels in law, and enjoys himself in the witness box. A late attorney-general of England describes him as the most powerful witness he ever encountered.

The principal event on the second day of the last meeting at Bendigo, Victoria, was responsible for what looked like an atte;npt to work a betting swindle. .Seventeen horses were numbered on the card, but when the scratching pen was finally laid j aside only two remained. The bookmakers had startad operations rather I early, four Deing in the race when j business commenced, but two more were scratched, one of them (Fire- ■ stick) onlv a minute before the time allowed by the rules. To make ma:ters worse, W. Wood had Firestick's colours on, and waited nine minutes in the weighirg enclosure, with the apparent intention of teing weighed out, but the owner, as stated, decided at the last moment to withdraw. The bookmakers had accepted 6 to 4 that one of the other candidates would not win, but with the withdrawal of Firestick, who had been showing good the price quickly jumped to S to 1 on. The stewards held an inquiry, and decided that R. Stuart, the nominator of Firestick, was guilty of improper conduct on the turf, and that* he should be warned off the Bendigo Jockey Club's course for ever; that his horses should not be allowed to start in any other race on the course; and that his entry of Fair Nell for the Welter Handicap should be rejected.