SPORTING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17078, 29 January 1916, Page 10

SPORTING.

NEWS AND NOTES. Nominations for the summer meeting of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club, to be held at Addington on February 12, will close on Monday night, at eight o'clock. The total amount to be given in stakes is the same as last year. but. some changes have been made in the distribution, while the classes have been substantially tightened. As a result, the programme is now much more attractive, and it should provide some highclass sport.

The Forbury Park Trotting Club has shown a commendable desire, for some time past, to cater for the best horses, and as a result the public of Otago has been induced to take a lot of interest in ihe sport. For this week's meeting the club put on a mile and a quarter race, with a three second limit. A big nomination was secured, but many of the horses looked out of place, and they did not survive the acceptance. With only three horses left in, the race, which will be decided this afternoon, has a. disappointing appearance, more especially as Country Belle has declined the engagement. Had the Rakaia. mare gone to the post it would have added to the interest, which will now be limited. Our Thorpe has shown such brilliant form lately that Erameline will require to make full use of her 2sec handicap in the early stages if she is to keen out of the way of the scratch horse. Eccentric, who is on 3sec, is a brilliant beginner, and if lie is at his best he should insure a solid' pace from the start. Most followers of the sport, however, will be prepared to see Our Thorpe successful, though he may have to put up a. fast performance, provided the track is in good order.

Jingle, who won the Dunedin Trotting Cup on Thursday, was making his first appearance at iorbury Park, lie has been in the front rank of the Dominion's pacers for some time past; and though he has not often been tried over two miles, he has shown unmistakably, more than once, that ho can stay well, in addition to being able to go very fast. Jingle was sent to Auckland last month, but was unable to fulfil his engagements, owing to aslight mishap. He soon recovered, however, and his performance at Forbury on Thursday showed that he was not' much below his best form. The Rakaia sportsman, Mr W. J. Morland. does not breed on an extensive scale, but he has turned out some good performers from his small stud. He made a great purchase when he secured Bonnie Bell, who is by Lincoln Yet from a pure-bred Arab mare. Tn her first season a.t the stud Bonnie Bell produced Curfew 801 l to Wildwood, and after an interval of five years she left Country Belle to Wild'moor, a son of Wildwood. If she had doue nothing else, Country Belle would have brought the Lincoln Yet mare plenty of credit as a matron. Curfew Bell, however, had already done a lot in that direction, as she was a brilliant pacer. Now Curfew Bell is at the stud, and she gives promise of carrying on tho family line. In 1012 she produced Watchman and Lord Chancellor, by Rothschild—Cissie Wood (dam of Wallace Wogd' and Olive L), bv Wildwood—Auntie, by Kentucky. Watchman made his first public appearance at Forbury on Thursday, when he won the Trial Handicap, after a. very attractive exhibition of pacingThe North Tsland jockey, L. Wilson, will be at Riccarton for the Canterbury Jockey Club's Summer meeting next week. *

x\t. Riccarton yesterday Merry Lass (P. Wormald) shaped fairly well in a schooling task over the pony hurdles, but gave a moderate display when sent over two of the larger obstacles. A year ago Specialform, flst, beat United Service, Bst 101 b, by a head in the Midsummer Handicap. In next week's race Specialform is set to carry Bst 81b. while United Service has got off with 7st 81b On tHese figures United Service appears to have been left with a good chance.