SPORTING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 2 August 1911, Page 3

SPORTING.

By SIR SINGLE.

The death at New Plymouth hospital on July 26 of Mr J. W. Emmerson, late secretary of the Waverley-Waitotara Racing Club deprives that body of an official Avho was very popular generally Avith all racing folk with whom he had come into contact, and the sad neAvs aroused general regret throughout the province amongst those acquainted with him. Mr Emmerson, whose age at the time of his death Was 46, had suffered indifferent health for some time previously, and he is survived by a widow and five children.

The training tracks at the Hawera course are in particularly good order at present, the plough having been ploughed up again and rolled, while the .course proper and "mon-key-ring" (as the inside grass is generally known), have been top-dressed. At the present time Jack Fryer has the biggest team in work on the Egmont track, his little lot including, amongst others, St. Toney, Avaunce, Contralto, Cornelian, Mr McKean's Kilcheran colt, a four-year-old filly by Coronet from Mirthful, and a Sylvia Park—Ebb Tide gelding, concerning which "Sir Single" has heard a good word. The evergreen Sir Prize has also been put into commission again, and assists to earn his oats by acting as a sober mount on which to lead out other members of the string.

The Christchureh Grand National meeting is not to see Electrakoff, as the Parliamentary Handicap winner was brought home to New Plymouth on the Tuesday following the conclusion of the Trentham meeting.

Patrobus has not been sighted on the tracks recently, but is still at P. Coffey's, and a.'full brother to Nukutahi is being worked from the same establishment. Compass is, of course, scheduled for the Grand National Hurdles, and it would come* as a great surprise if by the Day Star gelding's agency the valuable stake attacking to that race came again this year to Taranaki. Mr J. T. Radford will in all probability send Manawakaha in again to be trained by Dick Brough shortly, as the Cordon Rouge gelding has now quite recovered from the trouble which caused his retirement after winning the Farmers' Plate at the Egmont summer meeting.

R. J. Milne has just taken Paramount in hand again, and looks with some confidence for a decent return when this gelding is ready to race. Paramount is by Patronus, from the Dreadnought mare Tiratu, and is, therefore, full brother to Prancer, and half-brother to Lothair, the latter being by the officer. He is rising four years old, and stands a good sixteen hands in height, with any amount of substance and power. •: When Mr Roberts' lease of Old Maid runs out her owner, Mr G. M. Brown, will probably have her put into work at Auckland. The half-sister to Trugannini fills the eye "nicely, but her public performances to date have not resulted in a breakage of her maiden status. Though in fork for some time, she has not been raced a great deal, and as she will be six years old this coming season, she may, like many Daystars, prove better with a bit of age. Mr W. Lovett, of Stratford, intends placing St.- Prior in R. J. Milne's hands in the near future. At the present time Milne has iffom for a horse or two more at his establishment, though when the season comes into full swing again such a capable mentor will hardly remain longwithout quite as many charges as he has accommodation for. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that "Bob," who owns iip to being at the present time fortysomething "off," commenced his riding career at the age of 10 by winning a couple of races one afternoon at Mudgee, near Sydney, his actual weight on that occasion being 3st 91b. He has stuck to the game of jockey and trainer ever since, so what he.doesn't know about the game now isn't worth writing home | about.

Monsieur Soult, who was reported to have broken down after the Napier Park meeting, could hardly have been very bad, as he is still in work at New Plymouth. The full brother to Cordon Rouge has been put to the hurdling business, and finished upsides with old Highden in a schooling gallop over the "tieups" last week.

The Turf has probably seen the last of Prancer, who, it will be recollected, got severely damaged through being sent on to the rails whilst racing at the New Plymouth Christmas meetings. A comparatively recent inspection of the Pat> ronus gelding revealed that his injury had made little progress towards permanent recovery, and his former trainer hardly expects him to ever race again. There are now four of the progeny of the Turf; matron Sister Frances now located in Hawera, namely Epsom Lass in R. Brough's stable, Lady Menschikoff and Minora owned by Mr George Clareburt, and a rising two-year-old filly which Mr Clareburt recently purchased. This young lady, a bay in colour, was sired by Waikarangi, a horse by Soult, from Mr J. George's old mare, Durus, a winner of races in her day. Waikarangi, though well enough bred, was never raced, by reason of a deformity. Sister Frances has" now, ' 'Sir Single understands, been purchased for the Waikanae Stud Farm, in which case any future offspring of hers will probably command tall prices.

A good word is to be heard in Hawera for a beginner at the game by Obilgado, from Brassolis, owned by Mr J. Davidson vice-president of the Egmont Racing Club. Mr Davidson recently sold a youngster by the imported Cheshire from Weka, which is at present b«ing broken in by J. Clareburt. W. McConkey, who formerly trained Investment, Merchantman, and others down Palmerston North way, was the purchaser, and at the present fiime is residing in Hawera.

Mr George Gibson intends giving Grey Dawn another chance to distinguish himself between the flags, and»; with an eye to hack steeplechase events the spring has put the Nightcap gelding into work again. The grey has had about twelve months harness work to harden up his doubtful understandings, and his owner has reasonable grounds for hoping that a .racing preparation won't knock" them right out of time again.

Owing to having been stopped in his work for a fortnight by reason of some temporary trouble Smilax was allowed to drop out of his Trentham and Riccarton engagements, but as the Obligado gelding is working again now he would seem to have got over the ailment all right. Another _ absentee from Trentham through temparary lameness was Sam Pan, but in his case also the bother is now at an end, and the San Fran gelding is into toil again. The Coronet —Courier colt purchased by Mr T. F. Goddard when Mr W. J. Barleyman's thoroughbred, stock was offered for sale by auction at the time of the New Plymouth February meet-

ing, has, "Sir Single" learns,'groAvn into a very fine two-year-old, full of quality. Ronette, as this colt was catalogued when sold, is a half-brother to Miss Advance and Tetikura, the lastnamed of Avhom is also an inmate of Mr Goddard's stables.

It is stated that Mr A. Hall refused an offer of a considerable sum down in hard cash to start North East in the Grand National^ Hurdles, and the horse was taken home to Wanganui after the Trentham meeting. It is believed that his owner contemplates a trip to Melbourne with the Euroclydon gelding.

Some pretty deadly "readys" are alleged to have been worked in several of the flat races at the recent Hawke's "Bay and Trentham meetings, in Avhich OAvners and trainers had no say in connection with the arrangements. Asked by a friend as to whether a horse trained by him had any chance in a certain race, a well-known Hawke's Bay trainer replied: "It's no use asking me; ask the on top of .the horse. He knows, I don't." r " ' "