SPORTING.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15657, 1 August 1916, Page 10

SPORTING.

NOTES. The 1916-17 racing season starts | to-day. close to-night for the Win ton Jockey Club's Winton Stakes. The weights for the minor events of , the C.J.C. Grand National Meeting are i due on Friday. I Owners are reminded that first forfeits fall due to-night for the Wellington Racing Club's Wellesley Stakes, 1916. I New York wag schooled at Wanganui j last week, and gave a good display over tho big fences. He is said to be in , excellent fettle. j Mr James Bull has met with bad luck j over hU recently purchased Patronus. ! It was Bull s intention of mating ! the horse with a few picked mares, but j unfortunately Patronug succumbed to | an attack of colic. j It has been decided, according to ! a Wellington exchange, not to send Blackall to Sydney. The reason assigned is that the handicappers in Australia have apparently formed too i exalted an opinion of the All Black , gelding.

A. Oliver, who recently underwent an operation in Wellington, and was as a consequence unable to take part at the Trentham Meeting, lias made a good recovery. Oliver contemplates at the C.J.C. Grand National Meeting, and is at present taking things quietly at Awapuni. He has been ticked off to ride Sedd-el-Bahr in the Winter Cup. Tho near approach or the C.J.C. Graud .National Meeting is evidenced at Riccarton by activities of workmen, who are busily engaged in renovating tho paint work of the stand and enclosures, while the jumps are being renewed with new manuka .brushes. Tho course is in excellent order, and everything promises to be at its best for this season of the year on the opening day of the great winter fixture at headquarters.

Darby Paul, who was nominated for the two principal jumping events at tho Grand National Meeting, was allowed to drop out of the Hurdlns and accepted for the Steeplechase, {rave an ignoble display over a schooling round of the big fences afc Eiccarton yesterday morning. With A. Wormald up, he was associated with Faeot (Tutchen) in his morning's task, but after clearing the first brush fence he baulked at tlio double, and when urged forward simply scrambled over the two jumps in a very undignified way. On coming to the sod wall the St. Paul gelding refused to attempt it. He was taken back, and given another run at the solid obstacle, but certainly without much persuasion, and again declined to rise to tho jump. He was not further persevered with. Fagot, on the other hand, did his round in very crcditable style, and completed his circuit without "a fault. Sport (Hagerty) and Modditc (A. Wormald) were sent for a round over the battens. Sport hit a couple of jumps lightly, while Modditc gave an encouraging display, taking his jumps with a good sweep.