SPORTING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10086, 6 September 1910, Page 3

SPORTING.

TURF NOTES.

(By "Zetland.")

By the death of Mr Michael McGrath the Dominion loses one who ranked among its leading trainers. By the number of winners he turned out he proved one of the most capable. As a judge of thoroughbreds he held a high place, and was generally acknowledged by all who knew him to be thoroughly conscientious, and one who scorned to deviate from the straight line in the "King of Sports." His cleverness as a trainer was amply exemplified by the victories be scored with Gawain, Letherin, Moloct, Sunbonnet, Mahuta, Kiflemaid, Taraut and Gsirie, as these horses won in first-class company in different parts of the Dominion. Among other horses that won races while in his charge may be mentioned Dulcinea, Zisca, Sealer, Sherlock Holmes, Aberration and First Consul. His judgment in selecting thoroughbreds whiile they were in the paddcck in a practically rough state was shown in the case uf the purchase by him of Tumut and Osiris. Many turf men in Hawke's Bay would not look at the Merriwee gelding at any price on account of his lame* nsss. The subject of this notice quickly found out the seat of the trouble, and Tumut was soon acknowledged as a very brilliant racehorse. Mr McGrath'a death is a distinct.loss to this district, where he was generally respected. Sir Frisco, winner of the two principal races at the Horowhenna meeting last week, has incurred a penalty of 71 bs for the New Zealand Ccp, bringing his weight up to Bst 31b, that allotted to Husbandman and Diabolo. This system of penalising will never he satisfactory. In this case the chance of Sir Fricso in the big event is considerably lessened, simply because he won 1 two races at a country meeting, beating on the whole very much inferior horses to those that will compete in the Canterbury race. The fear of incurring penalties for the Cup has a bad effect on racing during the spring, as many owners of leading horses are unwilling to compete at the fixtures in the season for fear of being mulct in prohibitive weights. The best system to adopt is that of allowing the weight adjuster to rehandicap winners, if be deems it necessary to do so. A handicapper, who, in the first place has thoroughly studied his allotments, would only increase the weights of winners at the country meetings if their performances warranted it. Under the present system a horse may win a mile race of 200 sovs in inferior compny in, say, Imin 48secs. Another may show brilliancy and score over a similar distance in imin 42secs, yet strange to say both would incur penalties for the New Zealand Cup. Before the Canterbury Jockey Club can claim to be right "up-to-date" in its handicapping arrangements, it will need to do away with the oldfashioned mode.offpenalising winners of what are, in many cases, practically hack races. Descriptive writing as applied to matters pertaining even to members of the equine race is fast becoming a fine art. Occasionally sporting writers are apt to wax very enthusiastic ovr the good points of the noble thoroughbreds they inspect during stable visits, and the following description by a northern sporting rewhich he descants upon the handsome appearance of a Hawke's Bay owned filly, gives an idea of how writers can enthuse when they come across racehorses better than the ordinary kind. Thus the writer describes the two year old War Scare, a half sister to Bobrikoff:—"She is a neatly turned, sweet looking young lady, with strong quarters, straight hocks, legs of the best, nice fore end, and an exceedingly good middle piece. Her future should prove to be a succession of victories/'