SPORTING.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 31, 15 October 1920, Page 7

SPORTING.

Trix Pointer is the ruling favourite for the N.Z, Trotting Cup. The principal race on the second day of ith'e Winton Jockey Club's programme has been re-named : Soldier VLembers' Memorial Handicap. Bill Jameg has asked the Wyndham Racing Club to increase the totalisator accommodation, and in the meantinie the request is held over. Gibb McLean has Canjine looking well, but sprinting him along the North Road is cheaper than trying to win races with him. And Gibb knows it too ! Jockey Bowlands has made a good recovery from the injury he received by a kick some weeks ago, and is riding work again. The Winton programme contains an open steeplechase each day. £200 ior three miles the first day, and £175 for miles on the concluding afternoon. Mr. W. A. H. 011iv,er; secretary to the Southland Racing Club, has been laid up with a sprained ankle for a month, but expects to be about again in a fortnight or so. Bill Cowie, a steward of Jthe Winton Jockey and. Trotting Clubs, is going down , to Riverton to spell after several years' strenuous work in the hotel trade. The clubs mentioned will miss liis services on the several sub-committees who make the final arrangements for race meetings. The Winton Jockey Club has now appointed four time-keepers to clock the horses running at their meeting. A very good move, for not nearly enough attention is paid to this important part of the sport. The Winton programme has been issued, and £300 is to be given in stakes. The Winton Cup. £400, and a cup is the best endowed, and the Final Handicap with £130 prize money is the cheapest race. A very evenly balanced programme which does the committee credit. Swanny Smith is getting a big tesin of untried pacers round him now. A gelding by Harold Rotchild and a Four Chimes filly are the late additions to this stable. If either of them ca-n go as fast as Papeete or Last Vue, Swanny is in for a good season. Dick McDonald, who trained Killowen for the late Dave Morton, has purchased the son of Kilbroney,, and- he will race in the blue and black bands at Wingatui this week. And he might win too. It is reported that one of our local trainers has come in for a wad of hotes through a rich aunt or irncle or cousin going west. Good luck to you, old boy, you have experience enough now to provide for a wet day ! It is said that Tommy Taylor is going to make a hurdle racer out of Rorke's Drift's son. Mettle Drift looks like the makings of a hurdler, and it is a pity the Southland clubs are not catering for this class of horse now. The Wairio, Otautau and Tapanui Clubs' one day meetings in January next are going to make a nice circuit for local stables and between the three meetings the heavy end of three thousand quid will be hung up in stakes. W. Stone has purchased Clean Sweep, an aged black gelding by Advance. He has been run over short distances in the past, and should prove himself a useful horse in Southland. According to a Christchurch correspondent his present owner-trainer J. Pearson, will look after him untii after the N.Z. Cup meeting. The following condition on the Winton programme will interest owners and trainera of trotting horses: — Trotting horses nominated at this meeting, and being placed at this or any other meeting, will be ellgible to nominate for either of the class trots. Such nominations to be made not later than six p.m. on November 3, for the Hokonui Trot, and by seven p.m. on the night of the first day's racing for the Oreti Trot.

▼ Tf TTf TTTTTTTTTTT^TTT Bill Stone sold Checkmate to go to Australia, and if the Johnny at the corner is to be flfusted "Rough but Homely" made quite a nice little stake out of the profit on Sir George's cast off. Gore handicaps were published smartly up to time, and as usual Mr Gibbs has \ been accused of throwing some of the | neddies in, and crueling others. The | Dig. ig always ready to bet that more | outsiders will pay dividends than first [ favourites. The running at Wingatui ' to-day and to-morrow will throw some light on the form, and Southland trained . horses that run well at the Metropolitan meeting always show up well at the Gore | Spring Meeting. The strong oppositim I from the Canterbury stables is missmg at the later fixture! Secretary Young is a busy man just uow with a big racing meeting coming off, tv/o or three dairy factories to run and the. Electric Power Board duties. Frank Young is a master of .method, otherwise he could not get through the work he has on hand. The Winton Jockey Club js going to make orib change only onto their course next November. Surely this is an oldfashioned idea, but no doubt the committee has thought the matter well out, and it will be interesting to see how tiie i gate returns compare with last year's n- : turns from that source. j The "Winton Record" ran amuck some ' in fixing the dates of the handicaps and acceptances for the first day of tKe Winton j Jockey 's Club's meeting in printing off the sheet programme. It says, "Handicaps for first day's races will be declaxed on Monday, November 4." The Mondays j in Nov. 1920, are lst, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and j 29th. I wonder which date it really does J mean ? Then again it says, "Acceptances j for first day's races close Thursday, ! November 11, at 8 p.m., The Thursdays' in | the samo month are 4th, 11th, 18th 'and j 25th. Another argiument agahrst sax | o'clock olosing.