SPORTING NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10685, 3 August 1912, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES

(Ey "Also Starts.") FIXTURES. August 13, 15 and 17.—C.J.C. Grand jSTationial. Sept. 4 and s.—Marten J.C. Sept. 17 iuii!: 13. County H.O. Sept. 21. '2') iukl 28.—Avondale J.C. With t.-'.c Woodland;.. Hunt meeting on Wednesday last, the rating yenr ended, at.id we an 1 , now in tli.o beginning «.f the new racing year.

All -in tcu't st in racing .matters in the Dominion is at present centred in the Grand .Nations'! ••mee<t.:ng, which riptttk'S fin ten days at Rreearton. IVwjper and- 'K : c.yail Arms arc at present 'the .ouib'ic .faac.os 'for the Winter Clip, -hut Ma.nga.roa and Leapuki aire, also at a vorv short price. It :.s ira'.llior difficult to .see en wli it grandf. Lcivi'.iki. 'fan be fan.'-ie'Ji for 'i'i? ev-efi't. He 'Has not' «o 'far won a race oveir 7 'Fu.rfcngs, and the cornpir.iy lie 'heat -was. generally very meliorate.

'Conijicij aii'jo. i's maintaining -his position kis .f.ivour'te frir th:> Grand National Steeplechase. The Gi-bomo erac.k li ?s lic<?n acquftting hiauseltf well in. hil.s work., and .his jumping liar. l 'ii'cated a Favourable :m,predion at Biiccarton.

'ill? Grand XaticnMl Hurdles is this yeaA' regr.u'd.'d as a most open race. Five or six candidates are .fancied, H.'hfle quite u ivum'bcr of others have wndorebted clkuhtc. C(M"onetted ami Keraiv are at .present in the position of 'favourit.'. The latter is likely to be heavily imported. ■ The race promises to he the meet interrr.ting foi seme- years. The Auckland geldi'n {•■Bui'iy, who hj:« Iveeii' sent South to content the Grand Natic-iuil Huirdlcc, i.s repf-rte-d to be in great fettile, and has rer'O'.ved iriupport foir tfe ibig event ,frc.m fh? ivgh't quarter. J. Ooopw* took .. iormoc-t to Pahiatua on Wednesday. Owing to missing the triin, the gelding did u.it arrive at tho course until well on in the. alterncon. .Re started, ki' a mile and a distance flat rana,- and suffered idefe.tt .from the Popaku-ra mare Marinia,, who a ' double during the afternoon.

Ea'ily Shunifor;, who is untlor orders for Riccarton, was jumped yesterday mornSng iit O'paki, and acquitted himself vicry well. T(he Merriwee gelding is a natural fencer, and with- souia experience should earn a wiiming bracket over the email sticks. Bally Shannon is ejxgMge:]' in the minor liiwdle eventy at IRiecarton. 'Sir Knox headed the .list of wironing horsey in the .Wairarapa !.ist s<a- ' eso.i with the sum of £820; Snia.p:.s curie next with £670, Sir Letlhe 1 £535, Baily Shannon £375. Gaelic £370, and JLoapuki £&I0. Tli.? Auokland Racing Club .liv?.t year die- iiributed in ss takes, returning just 20 per cent, of the viriiount given away. Xhf Oluib paid out - in wages to gatemen aio.no the •sum of £1,342 17s 3d. Thursday, August Ist, was the. "equine birtWay, and all horses have had year tacke'd on to their ages. At lilie annual meeting of the Master tqn Racing Club yesterday, it was s'tated in' the annual report that the Club Jisidi a very successful year, and the firamcial state cf the Club allowed considerable improvement oi: tijie pirevious year. Since tb? ■ totalisator tax was imposed on Racing Clubs a few seasons ago, many thousa.ndis of pounds have found their way ii.r.'to the Treasury coffers. La-st year tjtio Auckland dub alone pud in Government taxes the sum of £9502 6a lOd. Bad luck has anee again clogged R,. o. Mason and-'lus team i.n Australia. Most of tlie liotcos are in n bad wav with colds or other :fil-

meets, ankf the well-known trainer h'jnriiaaW laid up with influenza. The pr.i-.peets of iM'ason t'.nd his team are I'.ct by ;uiy moans rosv.

•The Referee's Turf .statistician !lms, l a,s usu iJ, compiled his interesting s,tls I r.f tuMies giving the various amounts wo:v bv sires, horsed -and owners. The dcfi.i.ict .Soult agaiin heads the list of winming wres, with no less than 56 representatives, tliat earned phrcomoney of the collective value of £l6O/'S, ay against bis previous season's record of £18,483. ißiirkenlliead is a good .second, with forty-seven winners <,f £12,089, and the promising young dv 3, Treadmill, comes next with £8133. 'Counterfeit heads the list of whining Jiorses, hen- earnings having amounted to £3547 10s, while bra- stable mate,, A utumn us, is not fir beliinii .her ,wi.t'b £3070 tho record fram ever won. iby a two-year-old in this wan try. Then follows ViceAdm.rral i'£2775). Bronze (£2322 ](>«), Krmen garde (£'2225), Undecided (£2060), and Winning Way (£1S.))). Last season Danube topped the list iwth £3185, whilist Waimamgu, whose; earnings then arnoumted to £2-350, Lag' now curly a modest £IOO opposite liis ntvme. Sir George Clifford, who -as second in t'ita owners'' witmlng list last season with £8045, now takes an easy lead with £12,0.30 iOs, a wim that bus only once .been, exceeded, viz., in 10''!.2, when the late G. G. Stead's horses won £12,235. Mr Highden has had a good year, his •represer.'fcatives having scored to -t'lve tune of £7495, •<U)4 ths nex't moat sueecfcsiful owners :.;ve tho Hon. J. D. lOirmond, £6155; Mr E. J. .Watt, £3705 •?> and Messrs W. G. and G. L. fo?ad„ £3012 10s. The local sportsmen,. Messrs H. Whitney arjd W. Smart, -have, done well, with £2707 and £2700 respectively. Contrary to expectation, no time is to be lest in making the appointments to the pos-itio'iio of stipendiary stewards, applicationis .for av 1 i: : t h close onOctober 30th, and they .vhou-kl '-e acting by Chlnistmas time. The ce;;diiti'ons set dc'wn for tlr.i guidance. was only to he expected, are very"* stri-ngeu'c, and a real good class of steward (slioukl he available. Of course, there will be b'liir.clreds of,replications ' from all sorts, who think they have t'lie « necessary qualifications, and it really is surprising'the number who imagine they can detect all' -sorts of crooked 'bushm*? in connection- with the Turf. How-ever, to get the proper class of man for. the position, fit w-ill Ix 4 necewsnry to piek out those who are .above reproach, besides having tihe necessary qualifications.