SPORTING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9545, 17 July 1909, Page 6

SPORTING.

RACING. TURF NOTES. (By "Zetland.") * THE WELLINGTON MEETING. The Wellington Winter Meeting opens at Trentham to-day. The ac-, ceptances form a decidedly good average, and the numerical strength of the fields will range from ten to twenty. A-finer lot of hurdle horses J than those engaged to-day have not I previously been brought together at 1 Trentham, while most of those to contest the Parliamentary and Stewards' Handicaps have shown their merit during the season. The course is sure to be very heavy, consequently in tavour of the lightweight division, | In ihe Stewards form is best repreI sented by Martyrium, Waikaraka, j Iranui, and Longner, of these Iranui J may be reserved for the Parliamentary. ! The Peninsula Hurdles will bring ' out new aspirants for jumping hon- ' ours in Wirrall, Silken Rein, and ! Waihuku, and this trio are expected ! to show to advantage. Aurtus, TauI ira. and Rendrock, are sure to be | well supported for this event. J In the principal flat event, the Parliamentary Handicap, Muskerry, Sir Frisco, Pikopo, Iranui and Diamond Star, have been well backed in doublea, but it would not ! be surprising to find on« of the J lighter-weighted horses scoring. No,less than twenty-two have been accepted for in the Winter Hurdles. Among the most capable performers are Stormont, Exmoor, Gold Dust, Kairoma, Scotty, Bully, Commander, Stayboy and Corazon. This race should be worth going a long way to see, inasmuch as it is seldom that such a number of good ones are seen out at one meeting. The Trial Plate, ot six furlongs and Te Aro Handicap, of five furlongs, will be well contested. The form displayed to-day will give the j sporting public a better line to go upon. in the matter of the chances of the various candidates, and the fields are sure to be smaller on the second and third day. The following are the probable starters and riders in the Parliamentary and Winter Hurdles at the Wellington Racing Club's meeting, at Trentham, to-day:— Parliamentary Handicap, one mile. —Muskerry 10.10, R. Hatch; Sir 'Frisco, 10.9, A. Oliver; Pikopo, 10.2, P. O'Brien; Iranui, 10.2, W. Ryan; Coronetted, 9.12, C.Cochrane; Seaman, 9.11, G. Price; Merrie Zealand, 9„8, H.. Cairns; Diamond Star, 9,8, F. D. .Jones:; Pohutu, 9.8, -tL Lowe; First Mate, 9.0, W.. Young; Kurawaka, 9.0, C. Jenkins. Winter Hurdles, two miles.— Stormont, 11.2, Jarvis; GoJd Dust, 11-1, Jerry O'Connell; Kairoma, 10.11, J. Cochrane; Scotty, 10,2, J. Deery; Xavier, 10.2: A. M'Connon; Bully, 10.1, F. Speakman; Commander,

10.0, M. Deeble; Le Beau, 9.11, Pinker; Stayboy, 9.11, F. Flynn; Corazon 9.10, J. Hall; Belario, 9.9, H; Futcher.; Te Arai, 9.7, F. Porter; Whatakura. 9.3, T. Pritchard; Forest, 9.3, W. Young; Tauira, 9.0, ~H. Telford; Southern Cross, 9.0, Raymond..

C. Jenkins will have a mount in every flat race at Trentham on Saturday. His mounts will he Kurawaka, Te Kahurangi, Simplex, King Post, and Latchet or Masterful. R. Hatch ;will ride Muskerry, Pikiho, Splash, San Fernando, and Marengo or Undecided. Albert Rhodes, of New Plymouth, left for Melbourne, last week, taking with him an unnamed pony which is said to be fairly "slippery," says a New Plymouth paper. Pony racing in New Zealand is practically dead, and the locally-trained lilliputian could pay a if it sprung a surprise on a Melbourne pony course. Anent the V.R.C. Grand National Steeplechase, run last Saturday, the "Australasian" says: —"An admirer of Corrigan—a wan who rode with him—declares that in the days, of big fences there was no man to compare with the late 'Tim' Corrigan in a steeplechase. 'No other man in the world,' he declares, 'could have got a brute like Wymiet round. He hit most fences with his chest, and everything else that he could hit with, and at the last fence of all his quarters were up in the air and his head 1 on the ground, but Tom never shitted, and the horse righted himseif and won.' The man who said this was riding Governor, who fell early. He perched on a fence to see how Wymlet, .whom he had backed, would fare. At the pace they go now Wymlet hitting fence after fence would have no chance, but in those days steeplechasing was' steeplechasing, and a great rider like Corrigan could win races which other men would lose.

Now the fences are smaller, . the pace faster, and one man is much the same as another."