SPORTING

Evening Star, Issue 18158, 26 December 1922, Page 2

SPORTING

WYNDHAM ACCEPTANCES. Acceptances for the Wyndham meeting Now Year Hurdles Handicap, 200sovs. 1m 5f. —Mazama 11.0, St. Easel 10.13, Red Admiral 10.5, Grange 10,5, Londonderry 10.3, Calma 9.2, Hollow Log 9.0, Rapid River 9.0, Red Pal 9.0,’ Sweet Memory 9.0, Strowana 9.0, Wild Shot 9.0, Herbert 9.0. Trial Plate, 123sovs. sf.—Boughleon Dhoun 9.0, Baldowa 8.12, Herbert 8.11, Grand Fleet 8.10, Balasor 8.10, Solvency 8.9, Solfa 8.9, Overproof 8.7, Gay Gauntlet 8.5, Bruce Hope 8.5, Border Knight 8.5, Bloom 8.5, Black Mystery 8.5, Bonnie Princess 8.5, Gold Mark 8.5, Little Sister 8.5, Maytimo 8.5, Oporo 8.5, Red Sweep 8.5, Rigel 8.5, Saturday 8.5, Sir Walter 8.5, Tione 8.5, Wild Berry 8.5, Windsail 8.5, Warglen 8.5. Wyndham Cup, 550sovs. l{m. —Songbird 9.2, General Advance 9.0, Silver Peak 8.12, Sunny Loch 8.3, Silent King 8.0, Corn Rigs 7.12, Vice-Grand 7.3, Etta 7.0, Lady Blissful 6.11, Tin Soldier 6.10, Calibration 6.9, Twinkle 6.9, Warhaven 6.7, Osterman 6.7. Mimihau Hack Handicap, 160sovs. 6f. —Uleaborg 9.4, Avispado 9.2, Soldier’s Pride 9.0, Sweet Water 8.12, Clothilda 8.12, Winsome Lady 8.12, Royal Admiral 8.12, Salerno 8.12, Osterman 8.12, LoveI sign 8.10, Morse Signal 8.6, Baldowa 8.0, Moulin Rouge 7.12, Sunlit 7.12, Solvency 7.11, Overproof 7.9, Canton 7.9, Border Knight 7.7, Windsail 7.7. President’s Handicap, 200sovs. 6f.— Songbird 9.12, Listening Post 9.5, Bon Spec 8.10,' Corn Rigs 8.1, Mantua 8.0, Francaise 7.8, Miss Muriel 7.3, In the Pink 7.0, Bella Lake 7.0, Glensponse 6.7. Visitors’ Hack Handicap, 180sovs. Im, —Warhaven 9.0, San Salvador 8.10, Clothildo 8.10, Osterman 8.9. Raconteur 8.8, Frenchman 8.2, Gunlayer 7.12, Naomi 7.10, Rugby 7.10, Coastguard 7.8, Janus 7.8, Martial Dance 7.7, Canton 7.7. A.J.C. MEETING. SYDNEY, December 24. Following is the result of the Villiers Stakes, Im.—Wish Wynne (9.6) 1, Gambler’s Gold (8.2) 2, Danacre (8.9) 3. Three-quarters of a length. Time, Imm 38j-sec. BOXING CONTESTS. NEW YORK, December 22. Joe Lynch retained the bantam-weight championship by defeating Midget Smith in a fifteen-round contest. SYDNEY, December 24. Jamito received a points' decision over Jack Finney after twenty rounds of close, hard fighting. MELBOURNE, December 24. Ramies (America) defeated Bert M’Cartby on points in a twenty-rounds’ match after a dull, monotonous contest. BILLIARDS. LONDON, December 23. Newman, in the fourth match, has been leading Smith from the start. He was at one stage 1,300 ahead. His score of 14,666 includes fifty-three breaks of over 100 (aggregating 16,216), of which seventeen wore over 200 and six over 300 (including 411, 417, and 715). Smith’s score of 13,887 includes forty-seven breaks _of over 100 (aggregating 9,005), of which thirteen were over 200 and five over 300 (including 487 and 604). After being 1,000 behind in his match with Reece of 14,000 up for £250 aside, in which each scoring stroke counts as two, and in that manner reducing the value of red ball play, Inman has secured the lead. His score of 12,082 includes forty breaks of over 100 (aggregating 8.084), of which fourteen were over 200 and five were over 300 (including 404, 414, and 672). Reece’s score of 11,267 includes thirty-seven breaks of over 100 (aggregating 6,886), of which thirteen i were over 200 and four were over 300 (including 365 and 374). In the Newman-Smith match, the final scores were: Newman 16,000, including four more breaks of over 100; Smith, 15,342, including eight more breaks of over 100. In the Inman-Roecc match, the final scores were: Inman, 14,000, including seven more of over 100; Reece, 12,211. — A. and N.Z. Cable. PASSING OF CHAMPIONS. FICKLE RACING PUBLIC. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the sport of kings is the ficklemindedness of its devotees. "When_ Violoncello scored a run of successes in Melbourne recently there was a tendency in some quarters to put him on the same pedestal of fame as Beauford and_ Gloaming. Good horse as Violoncello is, it_ is yjaying Sir Samuel Hordern’s champion too much of a compliment to rate him equal with the other illustrious pair. There is too often a tendency to idolise the successful performers of to-day and forget the champions of yester-year. . A writer in the Sydney paper ‘ Fair Play ’ says ;—“ The fickle-mindcdness of the racing public is illustrated by Violoncello’s recent successes in Melbourne. In view of his great wins in the southern capital, the eon of Valcns —Catgut was hailed in somo quarters as a worthy rival of Gloaming and Beauford. Many of the people who would now put Violoncello on 'the samo plane as that illustrious pair were, not so long,ago, just as emphatic that nothing else in Australia could foot it with those two equine wonders. But tho memories of followers of the_ sport of kings is notoriously short. Violoncello commenced to 'yin races in Melbourne. Gloaming, who had taken his departure for New Zealand, and Beauford, turned out for a well-earned spell, wore promptly forgotten; or, if not forgotten, their performances began to lose • their lustre. Great horse as Violoncello has proved himself to bo,'the writer cannot picture him beating either Gloaming or Beauford at their best. He certainly performed with great brilliancy during the Melbourne carnival, but there was no Gloaming or Beauford in the fields lie had to meet; and then, again, wo cannot get away from the fact that in tho C. B. Fisher Plate Tangalooma ran Sir Samuel Hordern’s champion to a nock. Anyway, as Violoncello is going to tho stud, all further argument on the question is futile.

“ Tho ficlde-mindedncsß of the racing public was never more apparent than in the racing between Beauford and Gloaming. When Beanford downed the New Zealander in the Chelmsford Stakes, the son of Soult—Blueford was hailed as the champion racehorse of tho Southern Hemisphere. Everybody, except a few supporters of the Maonlander (and they were said to be prejudiced) agreed that the question of supremacy had been definitely settled. But a week later, when Gloaming turned the tables on his rival, there was a different story to tell. The New Zealander had an advantage of 71b in the weights; but he won in such hollow fashion that many of Beauford's most ardent admirers of a week before began to look upon Gloaming as tho real dyed-in-the-wool chamnion. There were, of course, others wlio stuck to Beauford through thick and thin, and excused his defeat by saying that the Newcastle horse was not himself on the day. Then came the third meeting of the champion in the Spring Stakes, and Beauford’s defeat by Gloaming by a neck convinced the multitude that he was unquestionably superior to the moke from Maori land, But Gloaming went and spoilt everything by giving Beanford a donkey-licking in the Graven Plate. ‘ Beanford never could race Gloaming,’ was then the cry. ‘ Why, he’s not a racehorse at all,’ said some, who only a few days before had placed tie Newcastle horn on tho highest pedestal of equine fame, “ ’Twas ever thus, and until human nature alters so it always _ will be. Each year brings out its champions, and those of tho past are quickly forgotten. And Beauford and Gloaming, wonderful horses that they both were, will doubtless share the same fate. Take some of our champions of bygone days. Let us go bade to the time of Trafalgar. Wliat greater turf idol during the heyday of his career did we have than the son of Wallace—fixand Canary, who nut no tha oniaafl

performance of winning the RandwicS Plate four years in succession ? “And what of Poseidon, Prince Foote, and Poitrel ? It is only two years since the latter set the seal on his fame by winning tlie Melbourne Cup with 10st—a performance almost equal in rank with that of Carbine, who carried 10.5 to victory in the big Flemington event in 1890. But, comparatively speaking, one hears but little of Poitrcl to-day. Then take some of the sprinters. How many people do we hear talking nowadays of Pendant, Scotland, Soultlino (New Zealand), Malt King, Woorak, Melodrama, Hyman, Cetignc, Greenstead, and others? “All those mentioned were champions of their own particular day. Soultline, the brilliant New Zealander, for instance carried 9.11 to victory in the Newmarket Handicap, a performance that has neve* before or since been equalled in the history of tho race. Most racegoers will remember what a brilliant horse wo had in Malt King. After becoming famous as a sprinter, he developed staying power, and won the Metropolitan with 9.1 in 1911, defeating tho brilliant New Zealand man} Lady Medallist. Woorak’s brilliancy stamped him as the best sprinter seen out for many a day, and ho capped many fine performances by running away with the Epsom in 1915—one of the easiest wins ever witnessed in that particular event. When acclaiming tho prowess of tho more recent horses, tho galloping abilities of those who have gone down to posterity are too often forgotten. It is hold by many that Beauford and Gloaming are the two fastest horses wo have ever seen. That contention may be right; but thord is no way of proving whether it is o i not. In the course of time other champions will come on tho scene, and then even the great Gloaming and Beauford will be forgotten. Short and fickle is the memory of the racing public.’’