SPORTING NOTES

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 10 December 1912, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES

(BY "Also Started.")

FIXTURES. December 12. —Rangitikei R.C. December 12. —Morven R.O. December 26. —Taratahi - Carterton R.O. December 26, 27.—Reofton J.C. December 2(5, 27. —Taranaki J.C. December .2(5, 27.—Dunedin J.C. December 2G, 27, 28.—Manawatu R.C. December 2(3, 27.—Thames J.C. December 2(5, 30, and January 1, 2. Auckland Racing Club. January 1, 2. —Marton J.C DATES OF COMING EVENTS. December 26.—Great Northern Foal Stakes. 1 December 26.—Auckland Cup. December 30. —A.R.C. Summer Cup. January 1. —Great Northern Derby.

The attention of sportsmen will this week be attracted to the. Rangitikei Racing Club's Summer meeting. The acceptances are satisfactory, a number of horses with recent winning form being paid up for.

Excellent nominations have been received for the Wairarapa Racing Club's Summer meeting, and would hare been even better bad not a. number of trainers forwarded their nominations too late to be. accepted. The horses engaged represent good handicap form, and with such horses as Sinapis, Sir Knox, Allegory, Mira, Obligant and Sir Solo engaged, a highly stuecossful meeting should result.

The Wairarapa Racing Club is one of the few which provide a hack race over a distance each day of its Summer meeting, and although we hear much about the prevalence of sprint ■races, these distance handicaps do not seem to meet with the favour they deserve. For the Rimutnka Hack Handicap, one mile and a distance, the entries are not good, while the same ! may be said .regarding the mile hack race on the second d«v, although the I latter hag certainlv filled better.

the present time the tendency in Now Zealand is t:> cater for sprinters, a"-' four, five and six furlong races are alw;n r s assured oF big fields.

The Tarnrtahi-Carterton Club has not received tho number of nominati""one would exnnct. considering that the meetino- i f i so handy to the Tauherenikau fixture. However,-the quality is suificiently good to ensure interesting, racing, and the meeting being, held on Boxing Day the Club should have a record attendance.

H..Mcintosh, the light-weight, who was at the recent, Blenheim meeting when Biddy fell during a ra.cei has succumbed to his injuries. The ■unfortunate hid was apprenticed to C. Pritchard's Trentham stable, and showed a lot of promise. He never regained consciousness from the time of the mishap, but lingered on for r

number of weeks. B. .Deeley. with four wins to his credit at the Woodville meeting, is creeping to the top of the list, and there is every likelihood of the crack northern horseman again occupying the position of premier horseman of New Zen.la.nd. Sid Reid, F. D. Jones and J. Deor-

ey spent a few days in Masterton after the Woodville meeting, and enjoyed .some rabbit shooting. The trio

showed that they wre at home with the gun, am! some good shooting was registered. Sid Boid has been offered the mount on Gold til i dor in the. Auckland Cui>. but has not decided whether he will

make the trip north, or remain for the Manawatu and Wairarapa meetings. Heidi is riding as well as ever,

and his handling of Ceylon in the concluding event at Woodville was a. treat to witness.

F. 1). .Tones will have the mount on Bobrikoff in the Auckland Cup. and in the same event B,: Deeley will have the mount on Bon Ton. The latter .at- present is a pronounced favourite for the big northern event. Sir Knox is striding out very freely at Opaki. His owner has not yet decided whether he will send him to Palmereton for the Summer meeting there, but it is probable that if not too harshly treated, the big chestnut will be found amongst the .starters in the Manawatu Cur>.

Otter was unfortunate enough to get kicked before the start of the Maiden race at Feilding, and also cut in's leg rather badly by bumping into tbo fence. This and_the soft going would account for Otter's;poor showing at Feikling. Tlie Kileberan gelding, will next be seen out at the Taratabi fixture. Full Rate Has been nominated at the Taratahi and Tauherenikau fixtures. The Officer gelding always runs ■well after a spell, and it may be that he may show some of his old form this season. The half-brother t 0 Sir Knox, by Conqueror, in T. Higgins' stable'has improved considerably of late, mid should be capable of showing form durip? i.ho season. Bally Shannon and Killalco are

striding out' nicely in their work at Opaki. and should he in nice fettle by Christmas time. Both are engaged at Tnratalii and Tanhcronikau. Sir Solo, whose form lias been vory consistent of Into, will lie taken to Palrr,°rston to contest tlip big event's at the Summer meeting. The son of Sir Laddo will figure near the top of the handicap when ho next starts, as his most r-erent form must have im- j pressed tho' handioappers. | Men who follow racing gonerally I know how to ke-?'> a. silent tongue re- J garding their affairs, hut some of ' them, especially the younger members I of the sporting fraternity, i\vb liable,to be carried away by success. After | a certain horp? won at Woodville, the joint owners were'ovorheard by a. wellknown hand.icapper, chuckling over the clever manner in which the public had been hoodwinked, the horse in onestion Jinnarently being a "sleeper" at the Foildnig meeting.