SPORTIHG.

NOTES BY SIR SINGLE

Local stables had a fair innings at the Otaki meeting, where, on the opening day, R. Brough won a race each with Maid o' Gowrie and Veto,-while J. Brown won the Final Scurry on the second day with .Revocation. Two New Plymouth horses' in Golden Grafton and Depredation also scored at the meeting, consequently a fair amount of the stake money came to Taranaki. Harbor JL^ight has apparently a predeliction for jumpers' hat races, and placed yet another to his credit en the second day at Ellerslie.

Whilst schooling last week, Dood slipped into a fence, treating his pilot, T. Fryer, to a fall which resulted in a dislocated wrist.

A filly by Husbandman from Cross Guard, purchased by a Hawera resident at the February thoroughbred sales, has since been broken, in My W. Power, of Okaur.fa, and has now joined J. Fryer's team. She is to race as The Gleaner.

El . Gallo's performance in winning the Great Northern Hurdles and Steeple.jLa-se double two years in succession is likely to stand as a record for many a long year to come. As soon as the weights appeared it was recognised that the son of Spalpeen wmi nicely in, and as the day approached double bets affecting his chances became unprocurable—and the good thing" has for the second time come off. El Gallo's owner has a great horse, and apparently is also one of Dame Fortune's favorites.

The Victorian steeplechaser Bullawarra,. who contested the Liverpool Grand National Steeplechase in iyls, is again -'oing useful work at Flemington. °

How much is -iding on Australian courses affected by (1) the blindness of authority,. (2) the reckless conduct of horsemen, (3) the fear jockeys have of the consequences of reporting interference? (says an exchange). The number of times the public hears of a jockey'reporting another for trying to empty him out of the saddle on the journey is mighty small. The number of times jockeys have been blamed for poor judgment in riding is pretty considerable. But neither the public nor the stewards always know the kind of milk that is in the cocoanut. Jockeys don't report one another more often because they have to ride again, and want to be reasonably sure there are not a dozen or so others with a grievance against them. If there are, the ride may not be pleasant, or something may happen suddenly off the course at night with odds of twelve to one.

# Bon Reve is said to be making good m his efforts oyer the little" fences on the tracks at Hastings, and every attempt sees him better at the business. Ihe latest addition to the business at Hastings is Multicipal, who fences in a brilliant and capable fashion.

? e\ f \ is th-°.ught, may be relegated to the stud next geason,

It is stated that Monologue, who was supposed to have retired for good with a fractured shoulder, has been brought in with a view to being put in work again. He has arrived at his owner's place near Palmerston North, and is quite sound again.

The Euramalla dispersal'sale, which wiU'be held towards the end of June w.u be one of the most important stud sales held m Australia during recent years. The well-known breeder and owner Mr H. R. Denison, has recently sold the Eumaralla Estate to the New bouth Wales Government for the purpose of turning it into a training farm tor. returned soldiers. Consequently Mr Denison has decided to dispose, of his entire stud. This must mean a great sacrifice, for Mr Denison has taken all pains to build up a stud of high renown, and as he has derived much pleasure from his thoroughbred breeding operations, and has s-oTd EuSS on a war basis, which, in plain Engheh, means a low price, we can (says an exchange) in a degree measure his large ; hearted patriotism. The catalogue mciudes JSirtv-four brood mares, fifteen foals of 1915, four yearlings two English-bred three-year-olds one Australian-bred three-year-old filly and two two-year-old Australian-bred Elites and the stalbons Poseidon, Greysuear,' The Nut, ana Brazil Nut.

The New Zealand Cup will be run on Saturday, November 4.

Martius broke down so badly while contesting the Oamaru Cup that it was considered advisable to destroy,, him. It is not considered likely tnat Emperador, who went amiss at Wanganui, will stand another preparation. The success scored by Fifinella in the "New" Derby, the war substitute for the great Epsom classic race, is of more than usual interest (says a Southern writer). She is the third filly to gain Derby honors in England during the last few years, as Tagalie won in 1912 and^ignorinetta in 1903, but prior to that year the colts had won regularly since 1882^ when Shotover was successful. Pretty Polly was not nominated for the Derby, while another great filly, Sceptre, was a trifle behind Ard Patrick on form. Apart from the interest caused by the success cf a filly in the Derby, the wm of Fifinella was noteworthy for anolTier reason. She was in the front rans. among last season's two-year-olds, an unofficial handicap compiled in the autumn placing her at the head of the list, with her .stable companion, the Desmond colt, Atheling,. aiso high up. Fifinella started three times as a two-year-old, making her opponents look like commoners in _ two races, while in the other she failed by a head to concede 101b to Telephone Girl, who won the next three events she contested. Atheling only started twice, winning on each occasion, it was certainly a nice position for a sportsman to have a pair like thisin his stable, but their owner, Mr E. Hulton, had had similar experiences before. For several years his horses were handled by the Australian trainer, R. Wootton, and he had quite an exceptional run of good luck with two-year-olds. It was, in fact, 'quite a common experience to finish up a season with one or more in the front rank of two-year-old performers, and with promising prospects of gaining Derby or Oaks honors: Whenever this occurred, however, bad luck attended Mr Huiton's efforts in the leading I three-year-old races, and until Fifinella broke the spell this week he had net been able to claim a classic winner. Fate was particularly kind to Mr Hulton this year, by way of a change. But for the war conditions Fifinella would not have been eligible for Derby honors, as she was not included among the nominations Mr Hulton made for the great Ji.psom classic. Her form last season showed that'a mistake had been made in omitting her, and she was duly entered for the substitute Derby at Newmarket when nominations closed a couple of months ago. Fifinella also won the Oaks.

Reputation is still in Mr W. J. Miller's veterinary hospital at Randwick. No decision has been arrived at as to what is to be done with him in the immediate future.

Of the £7000 added money attached to the next Melbourne Cup, £1400 will go to the second horse, and £700 to third. Last year second money was £1600, and third £800.

Mr FranE Moore is said to be very pleased with the first batch fo the progeny of imported Hallowmas, which he intends to sell as yearlings in the Dominion. Among the visitors at Kai Iwi are Equitas and Stepfeldt (dam of Reputation). Both, have . foals by Demosthenes, the horse imported by Mr G. P. Donnelly, who Has had a good chance in his first sea-son.

Desert Gold's winning record, of 14 successive wins .for stakes totalling £8300, is small when compared with the earnings of the most successful three-year-olds in the Commonwealth this season. Patrobas, with five firsts, two seconds, and two thirds, won 13,----620 soys; Cetigne, witb six firsts and seven seconds, won. 8376 soys, bringing his 'record up to 13,732 soys for two seasons; Kanuos, with two wins, one second and three'thir'ds, won 2993. soys. Westcourt failed to win a race, but was placed on seven occasions, winning 2755 soys. Wallace Isinglass, with one first and two seconds, secured 2032 6QVS. This was the colt that was expected to win both Derbies, but the best he COul.d do was to get second to Cetigne in the Australian Jockey Club's Derby. If Desert Gold and Eligible go to Randwick in the spring they will probably be pitted aro.inst the performers named in the we"ight-ior-age races.

The Townsville Turf Club (Queensland) has had under consideration a most unusual ease. As stated by the Townsville Bulletin, the horse Corntop

)is raced on lease by a foreign doctor in Oloncurry. The stewards, it is alleged, t were asked by the doctor to protect his I interest in the prizes in the event of Corntop winnning a race. Corntop won two races, and on the lessee being told of ths situation, it is understood, he stated that, acting under advice, he had refrained from sending the proportion of Comtop's winnings to the owner under the impression that such payment would constitute.a breach cf the Trading with tne Enemy Act. It has not yet transpired what action the stewards decided on. Consequent on the restriction of rac-

ing in England last year, runners for

several two-year-old races were so numerous as to make these events lin-

satisfactory. The belief that a similar state of affairs might cbtain this year caused some of the clubs—there is to

be racing elsewhere than at Newmarket —to give the question of division consideration, and also led to the stew-

ards of the Jockey Club giving notice that if it were intended to divide a two-year-old race into two races, should it receive more than a stipulated number of entries, this must be stated wjth the conditions of the race before it closed, and the division made in accordance with the following rules: The entries to be divided to

form two races of equal number (or as nearly so as possible), the names of the horses to be drawn by lot at tbe Registry Office to determine in which race the horse should run. 'me amount of tbe added money not to be divided, but that and the entrance money or sweepstakes to remain the same for each race as originally, advertised; the two racfts so formed to be published in the "Calendar," and to be run on the same day. The stipulation as to added money for each division being of the same amount as that originally advertised for one race Doints to tbe Jockey Club stewards having a shrewd idea that some of the managements were looking forward to getting two races for one prize. In Sydney many sportsmen have recently turned their attention to the rules, suggesting' alterations •" "which" they think; may be beneficial to the. sport. Among the proposals is one to curtail' the size of fields, on the ground that those beyond a certain number are dangerous to the horses and riders who comprise them; Fields generally have been much larger in recent years ' than was formerly the case. The I remedy urged for this state of affairs I is to run the races in heats. Until this practice became fashionable " on pony courses nothing of the kind was asked -for at registered meetings in Sydney, and even now it does not find favor with the committee of the Australian Jockey Club, which is of opinion that the change is not desirable, providing the course is -well appointed and its carrying capacity is not exceeded. Another remedy suggested is the simple expedient of reverting to the old system of a sweepstake for starters in all short races oh the flat at registered meetings within the metropolitan, area. To tins those owners who have expressed their dislike to numerous starters are not at I all likely to object, and it is thought that with the imposition of a sweep for starters the necessity for' cutting races in halves will disappear.

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