SPORTING

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 99, 17 December 1943, Page 1

SPORTING

NEWS AND NOTES

BY "CLEAN SWEEP"

The acceptances have appeared for the Boxing Day meeting of the Ashburton Trotting .Club, and although some of the fields are not as large as usual, the .racing should be well up to standard and all horses should have a chance on the big Ashburton track. Pacing Power is the back marker in the Boxing Day Handicap. He is {asked to give away 24 yards over one and a quarter miles and this should be well within his range. Integrity seems to have the Auckland Trotting Club Handicap at his mercy and the nearer the day the hotter the favourite he becomes. F. Smith had two worthy representatives in the Auckland Cup for gallopers, in Representative and Lord Chancellor, and it was bad luck for him that the former met trouble on the homeward journey from the N.Z. Cup meeting and is now 5 a very doubtful starter. However, Lord Chancellor has shown that he is amongst the top class horses of the moment and very likely to be one of the favourites on the day. He may be tne hardest for the top-weight to beat. Will Cary was once a rogue that •gave tons of bother, but now he seems to have settled down. At Ashburton he is one of the back markers in the Winslow Handicap and it will be interesting to see if he is capable of giving'such an improved trotter as Teddy Gregg 48 yards start and a beating. Gold Flight showed such good form at Addington at Cup time that many expected J. B. Pringle's pacer to be Integrity's toughest opponent in the big race at Auckland. However, it surprised many when it was noticed that Gold Flight's name wax missing from the handicaps. ,At the Auckland Trotting Club's meeting on December 28th, Rerewaka, and Sea Max appear amongst the handicaps. Although Amorlad's name still appears in the Auckland Cup field he has also been nominated for Southern meetings during the holidays and these include both the Wyndhalm and Southland meetings. At the same time it appears that Palfrey may go south for Christmas racing instead of making the trip north. However, no decision has apparently* yet been reached. The first race at the Ashburton Trotting Club's meeting on Boxing Day will begin at 11.40 a.m. The Canterbury Park Trotting Club will hold its ANew Year meeting ;o.n January lst and 2nd .and the nominations point to two good days' racing. Good stakes have been offered by the club. The big race on the _first day, the Canterbury Handicap of two miles, carries a stake of £1500, while the Mason Stakes, of a mile and five furlongs, on the second day, has a stake of £1250. Most of the best horses are engaged in both races. The Stewards' Handicap on the first day and the Hornby Handicap on the second both cater for the tighter class unhoppled trotter. Both races are of a mile and five furlongs for a £550 stake. Taken right through, the programme is a most attractive ;one and the Canterbury Park Trotting Club, should have a most successful meeting. High Play has been nominated for several engagements at coming holiday fixtures and on Ricearton form he looks to have a grand chance of {ticking up a good stake.

Well over 140,000 British and Allied vessels have been convoyed by the Royal Navy, and losses in these convoys have been only about one ship in 200. Troops have had to be moved over vast distances to all parts of the world, but out of about 3,000,000 soldiers transported under the protection of the Royal Navy, only 1,348 have been killed or drowned.

By a peculiar prerogative, not only each individual is making daily advances in the sciences, and may make advances in morality . (which is the science, by way of eminence, of living well and being happy), but all mankind together are making a continued progress in proportion as the universe grows older; so that the whole human race during the course of so many ages, may be considered as one man, who never ceases to live and learn.—