SPORTING.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 42, 7 January 1921, Page 7

SPORTING.

Awahou ran badly during the Wyndham . and Invercargill meetings. Staff Officer pulled up lame after the hurdle race at Wyndham. Mazama won frve races straight on end during the holidays — one each day at Wingatui, Wyndham and Invercargill. Jack Symons couldn't start at the local gathering on account of bursting a blood vessel in a spin on Monday morning. Goodstart and Calma show,ed improved form in much poorer classes when they ran first ana second on Saturday and Tuesday. Andy McKay didn't have a ride during the holiday meetings, and is setting up as a public trainer at Wingatui, wliere he trains Jock for a start. Foo Cliow was one of the unlucky horses ■during the circuit, and Ma-laga was snother. Each finish ed in a • place every time started and neither won. Hogan started Almoner, Kilkee and Glenshine in ihe Wyndham Cup but neither had a winning chance at any stage of the race. Mantua is some gcod right enough. In her winning efforts at both \ , yndham and Invercargill she gave her fields several lengths at the start, and yet won easily. The Ashburton visitor, Promenade, was too good for Oaknut in the Oreti Harness Trot, but Dwyer didn't drive Oaknut as well as he did at Wyndham on Saturday. Twinkle has been well treate^ in the Wairio Cup, but in such compar.y Fred Price's old champion Rorke's Driffc with 9 stone up should mahe no race of it. i Alex McLellan behind Downcast always had the pace of Oaknut in the Victory Trot at Wyndham, and won nicely. 1 Georaie Hunter bred both of them. The Almighty sent us glorious weather j for the holiday race meetings but the Devil j must have something to do with the selec- ^ tion of some of the handicappers, starfcers : and judges. It was early in the day when Glentruin • put in her good run at Wyndham on Saturday, yet by the way he has treated her in the Wairaki Hack Race at Wairio ;t will be pay out onAlex Chisholm's mare. It is reported that Alex Mclvor and "Put" Hogan will have some of their teanrs racing at the Wellington meeting, j the week of the Wairio and Otautau meetings. Roval Admiral, a four-year-old gelding from old Cooee, paid a nice price in the Trial Stakes at Wyndham, and is some galloper. Frenchman wa.s a good second in the same race, but the judge placed Glentruin who finished very fast wide out. They do say that "Put" Hogan never meant to accept any of his neddies for tha first day of the local meeting, and by the way his team ran on Saturday and Tuesday it looks as if there were some truth in the rumour. G-eorge Smart and Jack Oliver left nothing to be desired in the management of their respective meetings. They had many and varied duties to perform but had nothing to do with the handicapping, starting or judging. Hineamaru got well away in the Wyndham Cup, but was left on both occasions at Invercargill. With a flag start at Wairio she may do better, but she doesn't appear to like the last quarter in cup distances. Old Redshire collected another stake for Dan Kilkelly in the Shorts Handicap in which Killowen was made an odds on pot. j Ivan took no chances down the straight , and rode the old horse right out thougir j always about three lengths in front. Percy Price's Tin Soldier won the Wyndham Cup well from Eleus, and the good j race the latter had just made him right I for the Invercargill Cup which he won j easily. Malaga was second in the Wynd. | ham Cup all right, and filled the same j positions again on Monday and Tuesday.

Swanny Smith's Wild Night was coupled with Roseday on the maehine ttiough not on the hook. But for being coupled Wild Night might have paid a fiver. He won fairly easily, and Swanny who has waited for a long time got even on his purchase. The hurdle rac8 at the local fixture did not attract large fields, but each race added interest to the programme, and the public enjoyed the jumping. Hard Hit won nicely the first day, but next day Hogan's pair were too hot for him. Roy Berry got Coldwater home in the Makarewa Trot all right, but was fined £15 for crossing one horse. They say several other riders could also have lodg.ed objections against him for crossing in the same race. Abbey Jones was a day late with the Wairio handicaps, which inconvenieneed some the visiting owners with horses engaged. He has been late with his handicaps before, and should endeavour to observe dates appointed by the clubs. The three days' racing at Wyndham and Invercargill w.ere responsible for £97,564 going through Bill James' machines. The Government's cut out of that amount is about £5000 besides what Bill Massey i Co. get througu telegrams, etc., and railway fares. Can my readers name any other sport that contributes a tenth of the revenue to the country? Killowen races well when out in front, but he dGesn't like having to do it alongsidc another neddy. His tlime at Wyndham, lmin 13 l-5sec for six furiongs is a record for Otago. He finisheci first on the totalistator and last in his race at Invercargill. Had Orderdown got away in the same race she might have heaten him for she was catching him fast in the straight. Sh© made hacks of the opposi.-t-ion at Invercargill on Monday. Silver Peak only just won the Flymg Handicap from old Pyjama, but then she gave him a couple of len.gths at the start and the others five or six. The outside public didn't think she won, but George Young was riding her very confidenta.lly at the finish and was watching Rask and Pyjama all down the straight. I think she won. She paid a very short price in a one dividend race. After his good showing at Wyndham, Frenchman, looked a good bet in the New Y.ear Handicap, and he duly lan>. ed the mustard from Bill Stone's rccent purchase', Roseday, who, you can take it- from me, will develop into a winner before very long. The much boomed Wartone was never dangerous. ! | Seaward Spot appear.ed to have no : chance in the Roslyn Harness Trot after she had gone half a mile, but Dwyer was ! patient with her and over the last lraifj mile he easily cut down the tired leaders. ; The much favoured Wakanui was skipping : and mixin.g all the way. Mick Lawlor and First Toll nearly brought off a good dividend, but both were too tir.ed at the finish to shake off Swanny Smith and ! Flower o' Turi. i I am not .going to offer any excuses for Bill Norman's failures at the Southla.nd meeting, but I can go bail for his work being honest. The demonstrations oy a few loud-mouthed individuals in the outer ; enclosm-e on Tuesday evening was as unS sportsmanlike as it was unfair. vvnen a I rnan does his best and there can r e no I suspicion about his honesty, any rm stakes he made should be accepted by sportsmen as bad luck. But tliose wuo made the row were evidently not sportsinen in any sense of the word, and >vcre probably yelling through their pccxets. With so many strange horses and unfamiliar colours now-a-days the task uf judging is not one for amateurs who get into a judge's box once a year. Mr Ives at Wyndham was another officia] whose ; honest.y of purpose could never be doubted, but the task set him last Saturday was oue for a specially trained man, and I don't hold either Messrs Norman, Ives, Dunne nor Grobs to blame for the mistakes attributed to them, but the mmmittees who appointed them to the posiions they held.