SPORTING NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 2 December 1914, Page 3

SPORTING NOTES.

(By Sir Single.)

The Opunako Racing Glub lias drafted xne programme lor its meeting on Marcn i/th next. The staices given amounfcxb§ £7t)U, apportioned (suoject to possible alteration) as follows: — M'aiuen, £70; Jriurdies, £90; inlying, £yu; (Jup, £150; Electric, £80; Welter, £90; President's, £110; Farewell, £&i.

The Hawera contingent at Feilding managed to secure a sjuie of the spoils, as on the opening day Play Off and Astor ran first and second respeetive.y in the Flying, and AVild Lupin won the Kiwitea \Velter fsirly easily. Another Taranaki horse in Maniaroa, who hails from Inglewood, won the Manchester Handicap on the second day, after having just been touched off in the St. Andrew's Handicap on the opening day.

C. Millen, who is again located at Normanby, has in work Conguard and a bay mare which is, 1 understand, a full sister to Waian.

After the very diy spring experienced it was somewhat of a novelty for trainers to have; to use the sand track for work, as was the case after the very heavy downpours towards the end <?f last week.

Both the winner, Play Off and Astor, who hiied second berth, paid respectable dividends in the Flying Handicap at Feilding, as did also Wi.d Lupin in the Kiwitea Welter. When the horses left here Quo Vadis was. generally regarded as a likely winner at the meeting and he started favorite in the Fitzroy Hack oil the opening day, but does not appear to have been seen. The field, was a big one and bad .luck in the draw for places at the barrier affected his ehanco adversely.

In Play Off, "Mr F. Selwood" appears to have a good consistent horse. The white-legged bay was, if I am not mistaken, only broken in last year, bu# earned a number of winning* brackets and filled second and third position on several occasions. This season he won a race at the Wanganui Spring n.eeting, failed at Trentham, and uhen won again at his next appearance t\t Feilding. Furthermore, it may be mentioned that the horse was decidedly off color when at Trentham, and vas iot himself again for some time after returning to Hawera.

Florist ran well in the hack hurdle race on the open ing day : t I.akapuna Jvrt had to strike her colors to Lady Sabretache, who was bred over Gisborne way and is now in the same fiable as Merry Roe.

There never was a black thoroughbred who proved himself a pure dominant fo r bay, brown or black (writes "Boulanger" in the London Sporting Life). Seventy-five per cent, of the blacks in the 2'J volumes of the English "Stud Book are by a chestnut sire, or out of a chestnut mare, and in the breeding of the remaining 25 per cent., there is, with scarcely an exception, stout chestnut blood in the second o r third removes.

to ii s i? trn"gc that th ehorse on which W. H. McLachlan, the crack Australian jockey who has been so successful this season, made his first appearance in the saddle since the season commenced, should have been Kingsburgh, by" Wallace—Alexandra (imp),,who started at a rorlorn price in the Carlingford Mile1 at Rosehill on August 15th, but on whom McLachlan scored a win. Probably, however, the crack jockey did not then think when he dismounted from Kingsburgh that he had had his leg over the next winner of the1 Melbourne Cup.

Reputation has won £2900 in stakes this season, and but for the unfortunate happening in the Derby he would have just about equalled Nonette's record, £3960. The son of Sea ton Delaval and Charente won on eight occasions out of twelve starts as a three-year-old, and was beaten five times. So far, Reputation has only contested six races, all on weight-for-age terms..

Messrs Dwati Bros, have lost the services of their promising Vasco colt Columbus. He had a bad turn recently and the services of a veterinary surgean were unavailing. He won two races in impressive style at. Trentham and his owners hoped that he would meet Reputation in the Great Northern Derby. They are unlucky to lose the colt's services.

The winner of the Trial Handicap at Takapuna, Christine,, was bred by Mr C. PI Major, the former member for Hawera. Christine is full-sister to Kirsty, a smart' sprinter, who won races in Mr Major's colors.

Sardanapale, the crack French three-year-old, is reported to be in England, at a welt-known stud farm in Herts. The colt left Cbantilly the morning after war was declared.

The King's colt Brakespear may not race .again owing to the severity of the injury sustained in the St. Iveger.

It. Wootton .leaves for Australia at the end of the English racing season. His place as Mr Hultori's trainer will be taken by JR. C iDawscm.

Jerry M., one of the best steeplechasers that ever looked through a bridle, has just been destroyed, having been found in his box with a broken leg. Jerry M. was bred by Miss Kate Hartigan, q{ CJounty Limerick, and won 13 races of a total value of £1^.839, including the Grand Steeplechase de Pans m .1910 and the Liverpool Grand National m 1912, carrying 12.7, a feat only equalled by Cloister and Manifesto. U.& never fell m a race, though he lost ins rider on two occasions. Jerry M was immensely popular with the racing pubnc, and much regret was expressed in sporting circles when he turned roarer and was put out of training some two years ago to take a well-earned rest. Jerry M. was foaled in 1903, and was 11 years old.

The Hawke's Bay writer "Hermit" says that Indigo, who lightened up considerably as a result of his racing at Kiccarton, although looking well is not being asked to do any very fast work at present. The inference is that he will not be required for any events in the very near future. His'younger tull-sister, India, who is built on altogther a more massive scale than Indmo is coming along nicely in her work, and it looks as though R. txooseman would have another good one to get ready for next season

F. Meagher, the cross-country rider who was injured by Freak falling with him in'the Taradale Hurdle Race at the Napier Park spring, meeting, has left the Napier Hospital and returned home to Dannevirke. He is well on the road to recovery. Say s a-Sydney exchange: "There is said to be a probability that Mr J. E. Henrys, the premier horse handicapper of New .Zealand,- may settle in Australia in the near future. It seems to be an open secret that at least one important club would like to secure his services."

Di Gama, who went to Australia last June, started in 10 races in Melbourne tor six wins, one second, and one third. In all he has contested 17 races foi eight wins, three seconds, and two tmrds, and was unplaced on tour occasions, in gtakes Di Uawa. has won £2687, only £200 of which was won in New Zealand.

It is stated that, in addition to his ordinary winning percentages, W. ±1. McLachlan received something like £600 for riding Mountain Knight and other of Mr Watt's horses at the recent A.J.C. meeting at Randwick.

Subsequent to the meeting at Randwick last October, a well-known bookmaker was growiing about the amount of silver he took in connection with the Final Handicap, which caused one of his listeners to remark: "If there had been another race you would probably have had a good portion of the .Cobar copper mines in your bag, for pennies were about all most punters had left to bet with." Which was nearly correct, too (says a Sydney writer).

It eeems probable that Mr "K. S. McLeod," or Mr L. K. S. McKinnon, for he now races under his own name, will head the list of winning owners in Australia this season, for Kingsburgh and Woorak have already given him; a big load of any other owner, though Mr E. J. Watt's horses have also won a very considerable amount.

George Meddick, who. rode •Kingsburgh to victory in the Melbourne Cup,l is 18 years old. He was born in Newcastle (New South Wales), and has only been riding in races for two years. Meddick was taught to ride by W. Kelso, of Sydney, to whom he is 'apprenticed. Kelso* is noted as a trainer of jockeys. He instructed, among others, J. E. Pike and A. Callinah. Meddick weighs only sst 101b, and is probably the smallest rider to succeed in a Melbourne Cup. Prior to the day of the big. Cup, Meddick had only ridden Kingsburgh three times on the training track. He only recently lost his right to claim an apprentice's allowance, having ridden 10 winners. _ Meddick is the eleventh Sydney jockey to ride the winner of the Melbourne Cup in the last 20 years.

For the third year in succession the Hon. J. D. Ormond is without a representative in the Auckland Cup.

The owner of Kingsburgh, the Melbourne Cup winner, Mr McKinnon, is reported to have won at least £14,000 on his horse, and, when the stake is added to that amount, he will clear well over £20,000 on the race.

Lift (Elevation —Eduam), the two-year-old half-brother to Labor Day, was successful in the colt, filly or gelding class at the Hawera Show. The youngster is owned by his breeder, Mr J. Palmer, of Waverley. The second prize-taker in this class was Mr H. Nodder's b.f. by Guianforte —Lady Helena.

J. O'Neill, the New Plymouth trainer, (says "Field Glass") will leave for Victoria shortly in charge of the half-sister. (Rokeby—Tea Cup) to Di Gama.

Hector Gray is at present on .7 visit to Taranaki. ' He intends returning to Australia in a month or so.

Mr R. H. Skipwith has been appointed starter to the Nelson Jockey Club.

Atr latest Tod Sloan was in the service of the French Red Cross, driving motor ambulances to and from the front. In a letter he wrote recently to one of his English friends, he stated: "I am returning to the front on Saturday, but not to fight, worse luck. I was always co fond of guns.' Sloan is an expert motor driver.