SPORTING NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 19 June 1913, Page 6

SPORTING NOTES.

(By SIR SINGLE.)

The renewal of the sand track at the Hawera racecourse has n-»w been completed. / Styrax has got rid of his rheumatic trouble and had been bowling along iiicely in his work. On Tuesday, however; trouble again came the chestnut folding's way, as in some mysterious .. ashion he managed to get the lower portion of one eyelid cut off as clean as ;if it had heen done with a knife. The eye, however, is not hurt at all and no serious, or even very noticeable effect is thought likely to ensue as the result of the mishap. The accident, it is presumed, occurred owing to the gelding "being startled by a fowl and throwing Iris head up suddenly, but even so it is liard to account for, as careful examination failed to reveal any projection in tiie box likely to inflict such a peculiar wound. Some day, one hopes, Mr R. Hicks will win a big race with Styrax, • ■■&& he certainly deserves to for the way in which he has kept the chestnut going <lespite all sorts of irritating bad fortune with him. Smilax, another of Jim Brown's team, is big and fresh, and is striding out nicely in his work. The Obligado gelding rather astonished track watchers one morning recently by beating "Wild Lupin in a half-mile gallop. Tho last named, however, had eonsderably ■iihe worst of the weghts. The full sister to Climax in Brown's stable, has settled down nicely, and has given evidence of some pace for a few furlongrs.

J. Fryer has Park Tide home again, hut as yet the chestnut mare is only "Eeing hacked about. The Signor—Rau Ran colt, Welcome "Nugget, in Fryer's stable, has grown a good deal lately, and on present indications- looks like being a very nice two-year-old next season. Both Bercela and Bismark are none the worse for their northern trip and it is very doubtful if either of them ever looked better than they do at the .' "Twpsent time. Certainly Bercola never did. Cornelian was lightly blistered after the Hawera meeting, b7it is to be put into commission again shortly. St. Toney is in work again and appears to have got over the effects of a iadly cut heel which caused his trainer much trouble for some months pa&. A statement has recently appeared in print to the effect that * the Hawera iarainer. Oney Cox, contemplated moving lis team to Trentham. I gather, however, that Cox has no present intention of making the change indicated. Nearly every racing man is more or less superstitious, and in England recently Mr George Faber, in the hope "that it might break his long run of ill-luck, changed his colors from "white And yellow collar" to "lilac, orange sleeves, scarlet cap." Strangely enough, the first time the new colors were used they wore carried by a winner, and were on another a few days later. "" Bearing on superstitions, the Paris correspondent of a London paper mentions that when the Prince of Orange raced in France he looked down his card on "the morning of a meeting, and struck out any of, his horses which happened i*» bo No. 13 in a race.

The injuries sustained by Mercedo and Autumn us as a result of a collision ,<jn the training tracks at Riccarton recently are not nearly so serious as ■ -was at first anticipated, and both horses lave resumed work. The Auckland Racing Club will be required to hand over the large sum ■of £2665 in the shape of Government tax as the result of their recent winter meeting. English papers confirm the reported sale of The White Knight for £40,000, so that he undoubtedly ranks as the highest-priced thoroughbred ever sold. It was assumed at first that he was purchased for either France or the Argentine, but it transpires that his destination is Russia.

According to a Gisborne writer, Te Arai has recently shown signs of soreness, and has been eased in his work. Continuance ia also stated to be giving Ms trainer some trouble, and his wind is reported to be affected. It is understood that Aloha and Dirge, a couple of fillies in J. H. Prosfier's stable, have said good-bye to th» iiurf, and will this season join the Waikanae stud. Six hundred guineas was recently reJfused for the hurdler St. Kevin, who rah second in the Century Hurdles at "Wanganui, and the Great Northern Hurdles, one thousand guineas being asked for the eon of St. Ilario —Puawai.

Nightwatch is said by a Southern Sriter to have furnished into an ideal erby horse. Nightwatch is not eniered for the New Zealand Cup, which probably means that his owner intends to have him reserved specially for the Derby. Though he has had innumerable good three-year-olds, Sir George "Clifford'has only won the Derby twice. His first success was not gained until Husbandman won in 1908, and, three 'years.-later, Masterpiece scored for him. ' Mahutonga, -by Quilt —Maude, who ;ara_i eeoond .intheh New Zealand 'Cup "jarid won the .Auckland Cup, died* re-' <*ently at Gisborne. If the Writer'smeraory is not at fault, Mahutonga won 3iis first races under the name of Rehua, •which was later changed. .Espartero has broken down, and it "Ss not expected that the half-brother to VVhakaweira will race again.

There is some prospect of the im jpprted horse Malachi, sire of the Great Northern Hurdles winner Marton, being "brought back to New Zealand from the South Sea Islands, where he is at pre •sent doing stud duty. The Hon. J. D. Ormond has nomi nated the imported horse King Marl? for the New Zealand Cup. The son of Marco is bred on staying lines, and "he may render a good account of himselfin the big Southern race if he can ■',_©rsenf ?to *he post quite fit. ■'-•'"Mr R. H. Skipwith, who returned from Sydney recently, states that Sydney sportsmen are keenly looking forward to seeing Soltano, Nightwatch, and 'Cherubim contest the next A.J.C. : Derby. A short time ago even money ■svas 'betted to a considerable amount -that a New Zealand-bred horse would -nrin the blue riband at Randwick lor •which Bronze's half-brother, Beau Soult, is a certain competitor. On tne 'face of it the wager referred to seems -to he all in favor of the taker but as against this it is argued tnat berragoon has still to recover from soreness, that Athenic cannot stay, and . +*at the remainder of the two-year-olds are an inferior lot. Oniv four favorites won at Auckland diirine th*> three days of tho recentjueetiog, viz.: Dorando and Paoli on the first day, Sea Pink on- the second day. smd Toreador on the last day. lhe dividends paid out on the twenty-one S amo-inted to £283 Os 6d, or an i4_*wr»ge of over £13 per race, probaoiy

the highest average which any club has reached .for a very long time. Truly if ever a family deserved the name of "cast iron" it is the Castor tribe (says a Northern 6cribe). We have old Paritutu running well too, at 14 years; Kaitere, another son of Castor, was uaoing with success at the same age, and now we have Hautapu, a grandson of Castor, who is even older diian Paritutu, yet who is not quite done with, for he won the Second Steeplechase at Randwick a few days ago. I have often read articles in the ■papers from time to time about horses, and would like to mention a thing 1 saw seven years ago, says a correspondent to a Southern paper. I happened to be in Sydney, and saw Noctuiform, a son of Multiform, grandson of Musket, win the A.J.C. Derby at Randwick. I went to Melbourne and retarned to Wellington via the Bluff. | Coming into Lyttelton harbor 1 noticed the Sydney boat had just arrived with several horses, among whom was Noctuiform. He was just put on the wharf in charge of a small boy,, when a railway engine a*nd trucks came snorting along right in front of the horse, who : only had s.nail space. He stood quite ! still, and just raised his head in the sir. It was a very awkward position, but he showed the intelligence of a human being. He stood quite i still, and the trucks passed by without accident. There, was nobody in charge except the small boy who was holding him. It was a very careless thing to do, and 1 think if the late Mr Stead had seen what I saw he would ! have had a fit. However, Noctuiform ' shortly afterwards was successful in winning the New Zealand Cup, Derby, and Canterbury Cup. There is no doubt that the solid temperament of the Musket breed asserted itself in this | case. If it had been one of those wildi eyed animals, it would have run mad I n't the sight of the engine, but not so j this horse, who held his head in the air and looked a perfect gentleman. These descendants of Musket are the most valuable horses in New Zealand. ■There is-no doubt that the Muskets are very intelligent, and have steady temperaments. I never lose the opportunity of soundiHg their praise as I have seen so much of them. It will be a ( sorry day for us when we lose "the last 'of that breed.