SPORTING NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 2 July 1913, Page 7

SPORTING NEWS.

(Bj "Also Started.") The Gisborne Racing Club's winter ;meeting opens to-morrow and will be concluded on Friday. The chief event on the day's card is the Gisborne Steeplechase, 9 miles, for which the Auckland horse, Hautere, is top weight, with list 121b. The class of animal opposed to him is anything but' select, and it would not be surprising to sop the top-weight prevail. Sunray, if ho should decide to remain on the course, may prove hard to beat, but his best form does not put linn within a stone and a pound of Hautere. In. the Handicap Hurdles Prince Eddie will meet a weaker lot than at Napier, although the Chef lias something of a reputation in Auckland. Mummer, 9st 81b, must be given an excellent chance in the Flying, as at Napier his form was distinctly" good. The consistene Diavolo will be better suited over a sixfurlong course, and may make amends for his recent ill-luck. In the Tramway Steeplechase Reservoir should show up well, and in the Winter Oats Fort William may be favourite, as the result of his most recent display at Auckland. With so many visiting horses engaged the meeting should be highly successful. Judging by results at the Auckland Winter meeting, Hawke's Bay Winter meeting, and the Napier Park meeting, at each gathering there being a record number of falls, there musr be something radically wrong with our jumpers, and it would be interesting to get at the reason. At Ellerslie the nig hurdles were blamed, but the same states of affairs seemed to prevail at both the Napier fixtures, and the probabilities are that the class competing is a bit below the ordinary. , The Spaniard, which last year was regarded as a very mediocre animal, ir'now. being mentioned as a probable National winner. The most recent essays of the Torpedo gelding stamp him as .a greatly improved horse. Peg figures amongst the candidates for National Hurdle honours. This ithe first of Charlemagne's progeny to appear in a hurdle race. Hoanga is reported to be getting through a good preparation at Ellerslie and all going well will be compet- ■ ing at Trentham this month. | 1 Sir Knox, Sir Solo, and Conziska • are the only horses in work at Opaki. The former is bowling along freely jand will be seen out in the Parliamentary Handicap. Sir Solo is looking big and bright after his spell in the paddock and looks ready to undergo a special preparation for the New, Zealand Cup. ; .-....., Cally Bridge burst a Mood-vessel at Napier and may mot see the post at Gisborne to-morrow.

I'. Golden Water, a winner at Hastings and Napier, has been withdrawn from all engagements at the Wellington Winter Meeting. The West Australian Turf Club reports that ;dividends amounting to £1494 19s were unclaimed in ita eighteen days' racing last year. Acceptances for events to be run at the Wellington Club's Winter meeting close on Friday. The famous mare, Sceptre, has at last foaled a colt, a good one, moreover, by Gicero, and we can qiiite believe that Mr Somerville Tattersall is highly delighted with the new arrival. Sceptre now goes to Swynford at the Woodland Stud, Newmarket. It is interesting to know that Mr Tattersall intends to race the offspring of the a-re jn l Ms»»to colours, and tlu -first to carry silk will be Curia, now a yearling, at Major Roberts' stud farm in Yorkshire. v For some time past endeavours have been made withputsui'oeus to ■ get the Canterbury Jockey Club to Sostpone the weights for the Grand 'ational Hurdles and Steeplechase and Winter Cup until after the Wellington Winter meeting. Tins year the southern club, however, has made an alteration, and the .weights are not clue to appear until July 17»th,the day after the first day's racing of the Wellington fixture? This is some concession, and will be greatly appreciated by owners, but it Is a pity the Canterbury body did ;r,ot go to the extent of waiting until Wellington meeting had concluded, fvr the winners of the principal events on the concluding day of that fixture wd! have to carry penalties. The mishap* in the Pornite Hurdles, on the concluding day of the Napier Park meeting, which brought aboxit the destruction of Allure, removes a most promising; hurdler, acd one not a few iudges were picking out as a likely National winner. At WangUnui,"the son of Handsome Jack ran a good race, in the Century Hurdles, and.at two miles was going as well as the winner, Bercola, only being beaten oyer the last furlong. On the opening dav of the Napier Park meeting Allure"won the Ahuriri Hurdles in good style, and matters looked in order for his adding further to his reputation before the season closed when the mishap brought about his death, • \ In the Din'ban (S.A.) pnpr" "Iho , Latest,"'there'appear some figures re- i lative; to unregistered racing in Joh- i annesburg. The? showed that during the year ending March 31st last the Auckland Park Snorting Club held 51 meetings:, at .which £23,85/ in stakes was disbursed, and si return of £3191 was received iii entrance and acceptance fees. The club received £31.407 in totalisator percentage, of which £5471 was .paid to the Government as Totalisator Tax. The' Club's profits on its year's transactions were £4836, and the rate of interest earned on funds invested was 12 per cent, which though excellent. wa« a long way behind the Pony and Galloway Club's 37 per cent. Presumably it is compulsory for racing clubs to publish tlieir balance-sheets in Johannesburg, otherwise those concorned might not be inclined to give tho public such'', an insight to their business. The club's profits on its year's transactions would make edii'ving reading, but public curiosity on that score is unlikely to be gratified.