THE WORLD OF SPOUT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17291, 5 October 1916, Page 4

THE WORLD OF SPOUT.

, [From Our CoRREsroNDKVT.]

LONDON, August 5.

THE TURF.

The cry of the motnonfc in. racing is tho old battle-cry of retrenchment and reform. Prominent owners are retrenching for tho very good reason that the growing burden of war taxation and the corresponding strain of carrying on breeding and racing establishments make rigid economy a necessity. It is a reason why the cry from persons of authority and influence for tho Pari-Mutuel system of betting on racecourses is becoming more andmoro insistent. 'Something substantial, they rightly argue, must bo ciono for owners if they are to stand any longer the expensive methods of English racing. Whatever happens, the overwhelming expense of racing must bo relieved, if ■the sport of racing and tho national industry of thoroughbred and light horso breeding aro not to be very seriously impaired in their efficiency and high quality. It is a sign of tho times, therefore, that various prominent owners havo already adopted means of reducing their establishments. Lord Wolvorton, an ex-steward of the Jockey Club, recently sold off his mares and young stock; Lord Rosebery sold a number of yearlings, as also did tho Duke or Westminster. Mr J. B. Joel wishes to dispose of bis horses in training, and has just concluded a deal whereby a dozen of his yearlings will pass into tho possession of an American owner. Still another leading owner—actually the leader in tho statistics for 1916 in Mr E. Hulton has decided to soil his yearlings at Newmarket in December. Perhaps this latest instance is the most significant of all, inasmuch as Mr Hulton has- had tho bulk of what good fortune has been going, and still, on his own confession, he # fine* it necessary to reduco bis liabilities in view of the uncertainty of the future as regards racing. It is known to all interested in racing bow this year his Fifinella won both the Derby and the Oaks, and tho yearlings he offers include a half-brother to that heroine in the chestnut colt by Lonawand from the famous dam, Silver Fowl. In. the pre-war days this yearling would have made at least five or six thousand guineas. As it is there will presumably be nftich competition to secure him, and he should make the record' price of the year. At present the highest price of this year is the dUUU guineas which Mr James Buchanan paid for the yearling colt by Polymelia from Emotion, bred by Mr James Russel. The retrenchment policy now being adopted by tho prominent own-, crs named can only be interpreted in one way—that they are alarmed at the doubtful prospects and tho continued disinclination of racecourse authorities to reduce entrance fees, forfeits and other vexatious charges. Therefore there is a clamour, growing in volume, for the Pari-Mutuel and a Government, recognition of betting which will draw revenue from the Z™*l» mo ™\?fJ?" ting. In a few days' tune Sir Willam Nelson. Sir Walter Gilbey, Mr E. Hulton and Mr H. B. Persse will P™* nt the owners', breeders' and .*«£»«». petition in favour of tho Pari-Mutuel to the Jockey Club- . A few notes' may appropriately _oe written bearing on the result at an interesting meeting held at Windsor last Friday and Saturday. The most unnortant event was undoubtedly the bt &» Handicap, of £IOOO, distance six furlongs, which Under-Secretary of State, for War (Lord Derby) in truly gallant stylo by Plalaris, a son of Polymelus from Bromus and bred at tht Knowslcv Stud by bis owner. 'lbis fine big horse did not start favourite. That .position wasjbccupied by last year's Middle Park Plate winner, Argos, who had run a fine i ace though beaten, for the Gatwic* Cup a little while ago. That form seemed . to give him an undoniablo chance here, and, as a matter of fact, ho did account for all and others, but was himself beaten no less than six lengths by Pholaris. The latter was.a recent winner at Newmarket, and m respect of that victory he had here to carry a 91b penalty. What a 'bloomer 'tho han■dicapper seems to have made in having originally given the horse 91b less than the 5 weight he finally had to carry! Philaris, however, has undoubtedly unproved enormously of late. At the Be-ginning-of the season he was a big torse lacking in strength and constitution, and he was accordingly beaten. Ho would no doubt have remained so, but with the passing of time he began to mature and grow te hir. strength, with the result that the real Phalans —the brilliantly speedy horse, we knew as a two-year-old—has only just como to himself. He is a great horse over short courses, and, as usual with such very speedy horses, he does not stay. That is to say, he will never make a Cup horse. Volta, a year older, was trying to concede 261 b, and Lord Carnarvon, his owner, really thought he might; win, but this wilful customer swung round at the start aud would take no part in the race. Salandra, who was recently bought for 2800 gs to go to India, was a runner, and performed, very badly. . , , Donoghuo, the leading jockoy, rode his thirtieth consecutive loser at tho meeting. Two particularly expensive failures of his were Jack Annandalo and Sanctum. The former belongs to the Vreomte de Fontarce, and he on y lost the Royal Borough Three-year-old Handicap bv a head, and was, perhaps, unlucky to "do so, his conqueror being Mr Reid Walker's Blackadder, who was ; conceding 31b. Sanctum belongs to Mi- Walter Raphael, whose horses have been very unlucky thi3 season. The horse was engaged in a mile and five-furlong race, and was thought to be a certainty, as, indeed, the market suggested; but it was his fate also to bo beaten a head bv Sir William Nelson's Capital, an Irish-bred horso by Sir Edgar. The two-year-old winners at the meeting included Diadem, the champion, two-year-old filly (who scared all but three opponents away and then treated them as, hacks), and the colt by Thrust— Clarilaw, who secured the College Iwo-year-old Plate for his owner. MV A. &. Bowen, a member of the much abused Petrol Committee/ FOOTBALL.

There are many difficulties in the way before everything ©an be put iu readiness for the start of football in September. The chief is the arrangement of fixtures, for clubs realise that the bulk of the players will bo, bound by the working hours of-factory Hie, and there is a limit to the length of the railway journeys thefte players will ba able to undertake. On second thouglits Newcastle United have decided- that it will be. impracticable for them to join the. Lancashire competition, and they have reluctantly withdrawn. Practically every away match would have entailed a cross-country journey of 100 miles, and this would have meant the tenm leaving so early that nono of the men could havo.gone to work on the Saturday morning. Such an arrangement would not nave been sanctioned either bv the munition tribunals or tho football "authorities, who are determined to adhere to tho strict letter of their promise that play shall not interfere with the work of the country. For the time being, critics have ceased to tilt at the game, but the country is in the mood to make any sacrifice to help the troops at the front, and football would be banned at once unless it observed the conditions laid' down for play. Men for the matches aro bound to be scarce. Practically all the sol-dier-players of last season havo now geno abroad, and chief reliance will have to be placed on the war workers. All these are free a«onts in having tho

right to turn out or not, or in playing for any side they may Choose, and there is keen competition among club managers to Bocuro their promises. Those who leave their homo districts are eagerly sought after. For instance. Morduo, the Sunderland international outside right, Ohedgaoy, tho Evorton forward, and Gordon, tho Glasgow Rangers' Scottish international halfback, aro all in Ijondon and they have been'run after by every club manager. It is understood 'that Julham have <«bagged" Morduo and Gordon, and that Ghed<rzoy is to assist West Ham. Chelsea would havo liked Morduo, the partner at Sunderland of Buchajj, who performed so brilliantly and scored so many goals for them last season, but they wero "beaten" by Fulham. Buchah bv tho way, has gone on service with a draft of Coldstream Guardsmen. But Chelsea aro a favoured club in tho sense that they aro still well off for players and' they can afford to lot I tilham, their less prosperous neighbours, havo the help of Morduo. Tho death w reported of two professional footballers— Duncan Cnrno, the Heart of Midlothian soccer player, and Fred Longstaff, tho Huddersfield Northern Union forward. • Longstaff, who was twenty-live years of age, toured with the English team in Australia and New Zealand two s summers ago and last winter was one of the professionals invited to take part m military amateur Rugby matches. It had also been announced that John Sutton, tho Leeds professional, had fallen, but his club manager has received a letter from him dated July 27, saying that ho is sound in health and uninjured. It is nob known how the false report was circulated, but Sutton with a grim touch of humour states: " Having read my own obituary notice I now know how good a player I am. In these circumstances perhaps you will consider an application for an increase of wages."

THE CASUALTY LIST. . 'Varsity men who have won distinction on the playing fields at Oxford and Cambridge continue Jo crowd the casualty lists. Amongst those reported killed Second-Lieutenant R. K. Knight was an Oxford athlete and cross-coun-try Blue. On neither of his two appearances in the three miles race was he selected as first-string, hut in the crosscountry event of 1909 he beat the field in grand style. Going up to Oxford from Eton in 1911 Lieutenant Dr A. J. J. Hartley got his. Blue in his first year and signalised his choice by winning the long juniP- Tt was tt , sul'Pnsing performance, for all the other competitors in tho event had better records to their credit than tho Etonian. His winning effort was 21ft Bin. Hartlev competed again in the following year, but this time he had against him H S 0. Aldington, who commenced his series of record feats with 23ft lin, and Hartley was at the bottom of the polo with 21ft liin. Dr Robert W. Mitchell, a Cambridge "don" and famous as a rowing coach, has died ot wounds in a London hospital. He was severely injured whilst bringing in wounded soldiers under heavy fire. Ho had gone out three times previously at great risk, and it is understood that his gallantry was to be recognised by a high award. During the Boer war he was attached to General bundles column. His widow is the sister of l>r H D. Gillies, the rowing Blue and international golfer, who once nearly beat tho professional field in tho French open championship. JIMMY WILDE. "Is that Jimmy Wilde?" exclaimed a woman enthusiast of boxing, as the Welsh youth climbed over tho ropes into the ring to engage iu his open-air contest with J. Hughes. Sho looked as him long and sceptically, and then as he removed his coloured dressinggown she remarked, " Why, he couldn't hurt anyone." That is how Wilde deceives overy body at a first glance. As a matter of fact, Wilde is as near perfection in strength as well as skill as over a boxer of his woight attained. In this contest ho delivered one of the finest blowq on© is likely to see. This was in the tenth round—the contest was scheduled to go the customary twenty—and long before this it had become apparent there could be no other result unless Hughes, in his-despera-tion got homo one of his fiercest punches. They call Hughes the " Man With a Punch." Ho is a sturdy little follow, but.on this occasion his hitting powers counted for comparatively little. Ho certainly could not hit Wilde, who, with wonderful intuition, would jump out of distance and leave his opponent's gloved hand harmlessly to beat the air. VY'ildo appeared to know just how and when Hughes would strike,, and this was really tho secret of his victory. There is no end to tho capabilities of Wilde.