SPORTING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10136, 5 November 1910, Page 6

SPORTING.

TURF NOTES.

(By "Zetland.")

It is expected that there will be twelve or thirteen starters in the New Zealand Cup to-day, as follows: —Diabolo Bst 31bs, C. Jenkins; Sandstream Bst 21bs, W. ¥oung; Taskmaster Bst lib, A. Olliver; Bridge 7st lOlbs, H. Gray; Ingoda 7st lOlbs, R. Young; Los Angeles 7s 81bs, W. Holmes; Merriwa 7st slbs, L. Wilson; Outlander 7st 51bs, C. Emerson; Cullinan 7st 51bs, vv. Bennett; Kopu 7st 21bs, T. O'Brien; Lawn Hose 6st 71bs, J. Tait. For the Stewards' Handicap, Boanerges, Equitas, Formby, Bliss, Formless and fearle d'Or are in most demand. A strongly backed double ia that of Diabolo and Equitas, both of which are to be ridden by C. Jenkins. It , appears to be rather much to expect I that one jockey should have the good fortune to win two such important events on the same day, but apparently there are plenty of backers who are of the opinion that it can be accomplished. The Welcome Stakes will be contested by a field of eight, including the brilliant two-year-olds Peirene, Masterpiece, Bootle, Miscount and Culprit. The race is sure 'to be very fast. The horses engaged in the Spring Hurdles are a secondclass lot, and do not include such horses as Paisano, Wimmera, and Compass. In the Spring Plate, of I one mile, class is splendidly repreI sented with Crown Derby, True Knight, Birkdale, Dearest, Vice Admiral and Culinan. | The clause inserted in the Gaming Act by the Parliamentary Committee to repeal that precluding the publication of dividends is in the right direction, and shows that commonsense is sometimes brought to bear where much required. The law preventing newspapers from publishing the amount of investments and the dividends paid out on racing events was ever a decided interference with the liberty of the subject, and in no way could good come of the supposed reform clause in the Act. It was brought in with a view to minimising betting, but of course made no difference whatever in the volume of investments. Had the dividend amounts connected with several meetings this season in the Wellington district been published they would have acted as a better deterrent to backers • than otherwise. When investors read of the £1 6s, £1 10s and £1 13s dividends so often paid out on winners in fair-sized fields, and sums varying from 9s on second horses, they would naturally display very little eagerness to put on their sovereigns with the chance generally of getting such small re