SPORTING.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 4, 9 April 1920, Page 7

SPORTING.

Billy Robinson evidently didn't take much notice of my remarks about skull caps last week. He early discarded his own in the Riverton Steeplechase, and hunted old Zarkoma along at his fences with every confidence that liis curls wonld keep his brains from being smashed, should he land on his head. Post Haste is not a good hach to head off a handicap with. Alex. Macaulay may be an amateur judge but he has now had a lot of practice, and is generally considered sound in his judgments. I didn't have a good view of the finish of the Visitors' Hack Race on Saturday, so am not qnalified to say what won, but it is a very old saying that 'Only the man in the box can tell," and knowing Alex as I do I am prepared to wager he was right, Two who were in a good line endorse his judgment that Sartolite won by nearly half a length.

To get the money through the Riverton Club had to delay the start of the last race nearly an hour each day. Far better to arrange for longer intervals between the races when making up the race card than be altering the time of every race. Looks as if the Southland and Riverton Clubs will be doing something in the way of building in the very near future. Marehing Order isn't a good one. He left a nasty taste in a lot of mouths after ! the seventh race on Monday. Thistlecrown landed his party a nice stake on Monday, but ihe same horse cost ■ his connections some money on, Saturday. j Burnbank isnt' a steeplechaser to go nap | on yet. He will take a lot of teaching ' too. Yet the crowd made him favourite on Saturday.

The Boss ran like a duffer on Monday. He doesn't appear to be the same horse that won in Invercargill a fortnight ago. c'Pat" Hogan's pair, Silverspire and Zarkoma, were stones ahead of any other jumpers about at the Riverton meeting. That punter who put 12st 131bs against Silverspire in Monday' s race-card assessed his proper handicap better than Abbey Jones did. (I don't mean "Abbey" the printer.) Burrangong ran three good races at Riverton, and in addition to having won. his owner 400sovs with the Riverton Cup, he also landed him several hundreds of a cheap double witli Silver Peak. George Young did not have a very profitable trip to Riverton on Saturday, as he only caught one win. Still that may help him to head the list of winning jockeys at the end of the season. Mazama was pulling double (not Tom) at the end of half a mile in the big race on Monday, and wasn't in the picture at the end of the race.

Alex. Mclvor rode his first steeplechase over the Riverton course. He also won his first steeplechase on the same course, and now thanks to a game committee who were not afraid to experiment, he made his debut as a starter, and wa§ again successful. Alex. always had the name of being thorough as a trainer, he certainly showed he was going to be thorough as a starter, and even Buller and Andy McKay had to behave themselves when Alex. got hold of the lever. Alex. Mclvor made a name for himself twenty yearg ago as a suocessful rider; then he gradually climbed to the top of the tree as a public trainer, and had no superior in Otago. He now appears on I the scene again in another successful role, that of starter, and he has come just at a time when most needed. His work at Riverton on Saturday and Monday was no flulce — it was the result of his long knowledge of the racing game, and both horses and riders appeared to realise this very qnickly. The steeplechase fences at Riverton were pretty this year, but appear to be getting smaller and smaller. ThTee old steeplechase riders over the Riverton country in Arthur Gerrard, Farquhar McKay, and Alex. McKenzie,

were interested spectators on Saturday and Monday. We have never seen a better man across country in Southland than Arthur Gerrard was twenty years ago. He was an amateur that really loved the game for the game's sake. Most of them now only like it for the gain sake. Pat Hogan's team are likely to make a good showing in the Steeplechase at the Riccarton meeting for the Prince. That is provided San Sebastian has to give them weight. Frequent fast schooling is the secret of Hogan's success with jumpers.

Sasanof is a good one, and weight doesn't seem to trouble him when he is right. Arrowsmith is the first imported horse of recent years to win the Great Easter. He did it well, too. The Riverton Club will be building soon now, and Architect Brodrick already has the plans in hand, Old Awahou nearly came to light at Lawrence by finishing second to Jack Symons. He would have paid some price had he got home, Eight Bells was lame when she went out for her race the second day, and is a game mare to struggle on the way she did at the finish. Two ex-starters of the Riverton Club in Messrs Fred Wallis and Tom Prendergast were not backward in extending congratulations to Alex. Mclvor on his good work. Handicapper Jones provided two fine races in the principal handicaps each day at Riverton. No one could wish to see better races.

Secretary Geary handled his big j job on Saturday in good style. ! He has two good lieutenants in Tom Wini ton and Ewan Matheson. Palamon, a hot favourite at Lewrence, where lie ran like a mule, won easily at Bowmont on Monday and also ran second in another race to I'evolution. Unlil won in good style for Scotty at Lawrence. He was a good favourite too. Has the local club any idea of ever giving the half dollar crowd a stand again? Half-a-crown for the outside and we stand in the top dog pieceg in Australasia for the "commoners" enclosure! The committee of the Southland Racing Club is inviting applications for the position of secretary. The Riverton Club was lucky with the weather for it broke a few liours after the meeting closed.

Killowen, who was most genexously treated by both handicapper Gibb and Saunders won a race at each of tha Easter Meetings at the Goldfields. Sports ! Sports ! Sports ! Their very day's work is one of risk every minute, these airmen. "I have a rendezvous with Death," said a poet; and these flying men might have had the words painted on their machines, for, notwithstanding the safety demostrated by a flight from England to Australia, they have a rendezvous with the grim spectre every time they leave the earth. The airman, even the German ones, displayed sportsmanship in their warfare, and made the service noted for it. The Smiths landed in the early hours, with their characteristic native unobtrusiveness, far from where people would have eben waiting in thousands to welcome them. They received their cheque for £10,000— what a prize for two youths — and divided it with their mechanics. It was what was expected from them. A report appeared that they have been givea privately a gift of £10,000 each, a rich Adelaide admirer being the donor. Next is to come a book — an epoch book for Australia — of the journey, for it has a wealth of detail for us to read about. Then leciures are spoken of. The yrose above the world as mortal man had not done befora. Now it is at their feek