SPORTING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 7 October 1925, Page 3

SPORTING.

FIXTURES. October 8-10 —Dunedin J.C. October 8-10—Wliangarei October 9-10—Masterton R.C. October 21-22—Riverton R.C. . October 24—Egmont-Wanganui H.C October 24-26—Wellington R.C. October 26—Waikato Hunt Club. October 26—North Canterbury R.C. October 26 —Waipawa County R.C. October 26—Waverley R.C. October 26-28 —Gore R.C. October 29-31—Poverty Bay Turf C. Nov. 7-9 —Auckland R.C. Nov. 7-9-11-14 —Canterbury J.C. Nov. 14-13—Hamilton R.C. . Nov. 18 —Ashurst-Pohangina R.C. NoV. 18-19 —Winton J.C. Nov. 22 —Levin R.C. Nov. 26-28 —South Canterbury J.C. Nov. 28-30 —Takapua J.C. Nov. 28-30 —Feilding J.C. Dec. s—Methven R.C. Dec. s—Taumaruuui5 —Taumaruuui R.C. Dec. 9-10 —Woodville District J.C. Dec. 12 —Waipa R.C. Dec:. 17-19 —Dargaville R.C. Dec. 19—Banks Peninsula R.C. 7)ec. 26—Waipukurau J.C. Dec. 26-28 —Taranaki J.C. Deo. 26-2S —Dunedin J.C. Dec. 26-28-29 —Manawatu R.C. Dec. 26-29, Jan. 1-2 —Auckland R.C. Dec. 31. Jan. 1-4—Gireymouth J.Q. THE CAULFIELD GUINEAS. BY CABLE —PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYBHIGT, MELBOURNE, Oct, 6. Final acceptors for the Caulfield Guineas are : Garrula, Redshank, Mana«re, Manfred, llondi, Ambassador, Royal Harvest, Petunia, Pliocion, Amounis, Inferno, Royal Embrace, Valiska colt, 'Hilaria filly.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By Maecenas.)

The spring meetings of the Whangarei Racing Club and the Dunedin Jockey Club open on Thursday and conclude on Saturday next. The Masterton Racing Club is holding its spring meeting on Friday and Saturday next. Good acceptances have been received, and the club should have a much-needed profitable meeting. The continued success of Windbag m Australia is well received in the Dominion for the reason that his trainei (Geo. Price) hails from the land of the moa. Judged on performances to date, Windbag is a very high-class racehorse. For many years past sportsmen generally throughout New Zealand have eagerly’ looked forward to the spring meeting of the Australian Jockey Club. Much of this interest- was occasioned- by reason .of the fact that this Dominion had worthy representatives to uphold the good name of our little country’, and history records the fine feats registered by New Zealand-owned andi bred horses. For a considerable time it has been obvious that New Zealand-owned horses were not as welcome in Australia as once was the case. Just why such a feeling should exist is difficult to understand. Possibly the continued success of our horses, not only in the rich weight for age, but also handicap races, is stated by r many to he the cause of such coolness. Coming from an alleged sporting community, such feeling is hard to understand. Although he did not win much stake money at Avondale, the form of Ivendal there suggests that he. will run prominently at the Whangarei meeting, which opens to-morrow (Thursday). ' Merry Day won most decisively on the second day’ of the late Otaki meeting, and although the class of horses she will meet, in the Masterton Cup on Friday is much better' than her Qtaki opponents, it certainly points to Merry’ Day’ having an excellent chance there. Hymestrason won very easily each day of the recent Otaki meeting, but the class he beat was poor, and if Willow Wai is stripped at his best at the Masterton meeting he should be capable of thoroughly testing the pace of Hymestrason in tlie Electric Hack. Up to the present the winners of this season’s three-year-old races have _«*-*t impressed one as up to the stancWrd of many former y’ears, hut it is yet too early to hazard an opinion as to the strength of our Derby aspirants, and it is quite possible that some of the beaten division will develop into classical winners before the season closes. Commendation, which won the event for two-vear-olds decided at the Hawke’s Bav meeting last Saturday, was responsible for smart work on the training tracks prior to the Napier Park meeting, and in consequence was a decided favourite at the Napier Park meeting, hut a shockingly had start quite spoilt Commendation’s chance. Judging bv the exhibition Commendation made'of Kilmoyev and company, the gelding inherits the pace shown by others from the same dam. Commendation claims the imported Limond as his sire, while Eulogy is his dam. If my memory serves me right, Commendation is the first of Limond’s. stock to win. . Maveelish (Prince Merriwee —Jollie Fill-e) ran :v splendid race on the second day of the recent Avon dale meeting, and although not placed, was less than half a length front the winner of the event. Maveelish is engaged in the’Maiden Plate at Whangarei to-mor-row.'and' should rim well. Exactly was responsible- for two good races at'the recent Avondale meeting, and on the second day’ heat some good sprinters, only to go under by a small margin to Hoariri. Exactly is engaged in the .Kensington Handicap at Whangarei meeting, and although burdened with 9.6 will give lots of bother. -The mare is also an acceptor for the M.nnaia Handicap, and if reserved for the event may run a, good race. On the- second day of the Avondale meeting Llewellyn was responsible for Poteen Vising several lengths at two fences, and even then Poteen only suffered a nose defeat. With this in one’s mind, it would he difficult to pick a competitor to heat Poteen in the Ha uni Hurdles at Whangarei to-mor-row.

Barometer ran an excellent race lor ten furlongs of tlie Avondale Cup. whi'e Areli Amie unci Ruapapa -also showed up well in minor races at the same meeting. All three are engaged in the Whangarei Cup, to be decided to-marrow. Possibly Barometer is more seasoned to run out the eleven furlongs. When Nincompoop won in Australia 'ast spring, be scored under circumstances that would lead one to assume that he was a very high-class two-yea,r-old, but the subsequent failures at the summer and autumn meetings of the Canterbury Jockey Club showed that the first impress,ion of Nincompoop was incorrect, and that as a two-year-old lie was just of average quality. As ho is engaged amongst an ordinary lot at, Dunedin on Thursday, Nincompoop will only need to show fair form to win. As N a two-year-old Runnymede. showed brilliancy at times, and many were pre-

' pared to see him register special performances, but this he never did. At times Runnymede gave on© the impression of not being genuine, but possibly this was only a form of waywardness, as this season the son of King John has performed most satisfactorily’ in such of the races competed for by him, and which he lias won. Runnymede is being spoken of as a promising’ Derby’ candidate, but it may’ be found that staying is not this gelding’s strongest point. Of the horses engaged in the coming New Zealand Cup, none have performed more consistently than. Deucalion, and this gelling promises to be very fit by the time the big two-mile handicap acmes up for decision in November. Personally, I think a journey over ii less distance than two miles would he more to the liking of Deucalion. He is engaged in the Mosgiel Handicap at Dunedin to-morrow, and as the event is decided over one and a quarter miles, Deucalion may be one that will prove hard to beat. At the recent meeting held by -the Avondale Jockey Club, divisional races were again forced on to owners and the public by the recently’ passed -racing legislation, and these events only emphasised the fact that, as present handled, these divided races are most unfair to (both- lownens and (botjtnrs alike. The Welter Handicap decided on the opening day of the ■ .Avondale meeting was worth £2OO, of tli-is owners found £S9 in the way’ of nominations and acceptances. 'Hie event is divided under the rules of racing, and the division race for a paltry stake of £IOO, -and the event an open welter. The Henderson Handicap, also an open race, was also only worth £IOO each division, -and just here it may’ -be remarked that tlie club liad no right to run the trace in divisions, -seing that there were only seven startor-s in the first and six runners for (ho second division, or a grand total of thirteen for the race. Seeing that the safety number of the Avondale course is twenty, it eenfcainly is strange that the race was divided. Thus ten races were run on the opening day, the firs-t race starting at 11.30, but it was 5.45 before the last event is decided. Such programmes are tiring and do not make racing any more popular. Clubs are certainly in a quandary’, where fields are liable to exceed tlie safety number, and it looks as if some means will have fo be taken to reduce the size of fields.