WORLD OF SPORT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17335, 25 November 1916, Page 5

WORLD OF SPORT.

[From Our CoanEsroxDEKT.] THE TURF. LONDON, September 27. The Jockey Club, in order to augment a much abbreviated racing season,'' arranged for three extra meetings. The third and concluding one, has just been brought off on the Bowley Mile course. There remain to complete the Newmarket season tho thrco meetings usual to the autumn campaign, at headquarters—the fixture known as the Jockey Club Slakes, or "First Autumn," tho "Second Autumn," or Cesaremtch mooting, and tho "Houghton" or Cambridgeshire meeting, which takes places towards the end of October. Meanwhile, it is necessary to touch on the substitute races at Newmarket for tho St Leger and the Gimcrack Stakes. The one. was called the Sepr tember Stakes, and, as tho Doncaster Corporation which gathers such a fine revenue from racing, was never known for generosity, it follows that no contribution was made by that authority to the stake money attached to the race. Tt was otherwise where tho historic Gimcrack Club was concerned. In order that there should be a race for two-year-olds originally entered for the cancelled Gimcrack .Stakes or 191 G, they gave £'2oo to the stake arranged by the Jockey Club. Hence tho event, named the York Two-year-old Stakes, and decided last week in favour of Mr Hulton's Knutsford. The St Leger substitute was not confined as regards entry to horses originally entered for the cancelled race at. Doncaster. It was made open to all, and bad the leading three-year-olds competed there might have been a race worthy of tradition. Thus Fifinella, the brilliant, winner of the New Derby and New Oaks was an absentee through baring been amiss. Kwang Su, second for the Two Thousand Guineas and New Derby, was entered, but held in reserve for the Jockey Club Stakes, in order that, never having won a race, lie should qualify for a big advantage in ilie weights for that event. Nassovian, third in those races, was not entered. Thus, in their absence the race became only a match between Lord Falmouth's Clarissimus and Mr J. Buchanan's Hurry On. The one had won the Two Thousand Guineas, the other had only run in three races in his life—never as a two-year- ; old- and he had not been beaten. ; Hurry On was a decided favourite, and ' to cut a long story short he was re- ' turned a. decisive winner. When asked to do so be drew clear of Clarissimus. and boat him in most convincing style, ' and yet William Waugh, who had trained Lord Falmouth's horse at. > Kingsoloro. had believed him to be tin- ! beatable, so highly bad he tried him. Before the race Ire told us that Clarissimus was the highest' tried horse he, ; had ever had at Kingsclore. »"d Buj- ' lock, who had the mount, bad origi- , nally fancied Hurry On, but wa* con-j verted to Clarissimus because of the j ivnv he had carried him in bis two last i gallops. Such confidence in the beaten horse naturally reacts in favour of tho winning one. it shows that Hurry On did reallv achieve something, and si- j lenoes those who would belittle bis vie- i torv bv suggesting that ho "heat no-

tiling.'' Oiiito probably Hurry On is ' the 'host bit; horse- wo havo bad for I sonic lime. Ho undoubtedly is a bit* I ono, for bo must stand Tory close on i seventeen hands, while with all bis J height bo has "rent, weight of' bono I and general substance. * One who has I somo knowledge of horses and their development can ouitc well understand ivliy it was not practicable to train this big fellow as a two-year-old. Mo was too much like nil unfurnished colt, and I obviou<lv only time could mature him to his proper'strength, and enable lorn to statu! the wear of serious training, lie is sneh a fine stavor that lie ought to make a splendid Cup horse, though the abandonment of Ascot.. Goodwood and Dqneasler Cu|w during the. last two seasons have, almost; made us forgot the lino Cni> achievements of TVrj simmon. Tho White Knight, Bayardo and others in recent times. It may ho i added that Hurry Op is a sou of Marj cowl, who won |thp Cambridgeshire i a few seasons ago at 06 to J. and he was bred by Mr W. Murland, a member of the National Hunt Committee. He sold the hor.se as a yearling for 500 guineas, the buyer acting on behalf of Mr Buchanan, who strangely enoMgh is said never to have soon his horse. Canyon, the winner of the One Thousand Guineas, was one of the four beaten by him. It was lamentable to see this charming marc absolutely tailed off, and she clearly ought not to havo boon allowed to compete. Third in the race was At holing, who. however, does not stay a mile and throe-quarters. The latter is owned by Mr Hulfnn, who, as already stated, saw. his good colt Koufeford win the " Gimeraek." The same* owner had won the Gimoraek Stakes on the last throe occasions it had been run for. I think bis previous winners were Lomond. Flippant and Stornowny. Kmit.stord had a simple task for the reason that Lord d'Abortion's smart filly Diadem could , not rim through an attack of coughing. The fact robbed the race of its chief interest. The winner is a neat and symmetrical bay colt by Swynford, but he may scarcely be big enough to be an absolutely first-ranker as a t-hree-ycar-old. Still it; is never safe _to prophesy where racing and breeding are concerned. A few other interesting facts connected with the meeting may be mentioned. Thus Mr J. B. Joel won bis first race of the season when bis two-year-old North-Star, a son of Sunstar. won tho Barton Mills Nursery of j £IOOO, It was astonishing that an owner with such a wonderful record of successes should have bad to wait- 'so long in lOlfi. Kingsclero won a handi- j 'cap with the Duke of Westminster's AH Bev. who started at 20'to 1. hut apart, from the fail-tire' of Clarissimus they were robbed of certain victories in minor races when Lord Falmouth's Angelina wont lame before a race while the same owner's Willumsen contracted colic alter he had boon saddled and j belted on. Then further victories fell : to tho Yorkshire stable, of which tho chief patron is Major 1L Logan Kidston. They won the Chesterton Nursery with Qitarryman; but their most' important success wa« with Aer.-chot, j who starter! a pronounced favourite, for j tho Bury St Edmunds' Handicap and won with great ease. This stable has the best record of the season, and it! is indeed singular that it should hail j from the north where there has boon j no racing for well over a year. Major | Logan Kidston invested some of his j winnings in yearlings and thereby as- i sisied t-o the astonishing yield at the important sales last week. The results were extraordinary considering that, wo are in tho third year of war Fifteen Stedmere yearlings averaged 921 <mineas each, two of them making 4000"n.ncl 3000 respectively. The fact. has given breeding and racing a great and much needed tonic. THE BOLL OF HONOUR,

Three more Rugby internationals—an Englishman, a Welshman and » rrenchman— have been killed. Mie Englishman, J>: D. Dobsou, a Devon and Oxford University forward, -who played in all the representative matches of 190- and 1903, has died outside the theatre of war. as the result, of an encounter with a rhinoceros in Nyassaland. When Dohsou, who was a district magistrate, was savagely attacked by the animal his gun bearer took fright and ran away, leaving him defenceless. The beast caught him with terrific force, breaking his jaw and shea Id or and practically disembowell-

ing him. In this terrible condition he walked ono and a half miles to his houso and after being patched up endured a forty miles journey in a hammock strung on poles and carried by natives. During the whole time he. never lost, consciousness, but died on tho following day. Tho Welshman, Lieutenant H. H. Thomas, who has fallen in action in France, was the Cambridge University stand-off half-back in 1912. ]n the same season ho was "capped" tor Wales against the South Africans, and came within an ace. of causing tho defeat of the touring side. Getting the ball when not. too well placed, he took a drop at goal and the hall went only a few inches on the wrong side of the post. Had the sliot succeeded. Wales would have Avon by a point—a dropped goal to a. penalty goal. The Frenchman to fall is Lieutenant Bene Burgun, the best centre-forward on the Continent. He was in the artillery when the war began, but the air service fascinated him and he became a daring flying man. It is known that he brought down four enemy machines. His own death was duo. to an accident. One day something went wrong with his engine, and whilst he was pinning home in a helpless condition so far as fighting was concerned he. was overtaken by a Fokker. Altogether he played ten times for France and gained a try in the memorable victory over Scotland in Paris in 1911. The most notable of recent scullers. Lieutenant 1). O. R. Stuart, is in a. : London hospital, recovering from wounds. He stroked the Cambridge eight for four years and only once failed to load lu's crew to victory against Oxford. He also stroked the Light Blue boat against ,1-Inrvard on the Thames, when the. Americans wore easily defeated. GEORGES CARPENTIEB. Whilst. living among the hourly dangers of the flying man, who makes daily raids of discovery and destruction across the German lines, Georges Carpentier can still find time to write And talk of boxing. This young Frenchman, who is twenty-three years of ago, declares thai: until the war is ever ho will do all his fighting for his country in the air. Til en he will return to the ring and build up another fortune. He has .promised that his first contest shall be in London, and already steps are being taken by enterprising promoters to induce Darcy, the invincible Australian, to come over and moot him. This would be a match of j tiornendouß interest, but as Ciirpbntier j points out, there may be somo difficulty on tho score of weight in bring- I ing the two men together. Carpentier j now weighs just over TJst and has no J hope of ever getting down to the middle-weight standard again. In the meantime, however, Darcy may inctease in poundage, and by the time a contest is possible there may be no j disparity between the weight of the men. ' Carpentier has 'now been an air pilot for sixteen months. He lias been wounded and has received the Croix do Guerre. He has also been recommended for the Medaille Militairc for a daring feat. He flew over the German lines at at altitude of only OOOI't, and on his return'it was found that his machine had been' punctured hy as many as fifteen rifle bullets. The. young boxer has lost practically the whole of his fortune which he invested iu the coal mines of Lens before the war. These, of course, have long been in the occupation of the Germans. Carpentier lived' in Lens, and so fains lie knows his father, mother, and two sisters arc still there. He has heard no news of his family since the encmv swept through the town in August, 10. W, hut he knows that the hoiise and cafe which bo bought for his parents has been wrecked by a shell. •• 1 will he glad to get oui. of this i hell." Carpentier writes, " k remeivi- j her when 1 fought Bombardier We'lls j :it. Ghent the Belgians screamed that j boxing was ghastly and must he no j more. Then they did not know. A j squeamish Belgian can never bo again. | For Belgians, have lived too long in a world of horror." HACKFN'SCHMIDT.

' Georges Hackeusehmidt, perhaps the only man to make "big" money out of wrestling, is in captivity in Germany. At- the outbreak of the war be was fulfilling a music-hall engagement, and ho was one of those luckless individuals who received no warning. The result was that he was interned in a camp near Berlin, with fellow subject's I of Russia. A wealthy man, he has : been able to buy all the little comforts available, but like everyone else in this hungry country, he has had a miserable experience. In a letter in which he makes light of his unhappy lot, lie assures me that his period of captivity is swiftly drawing to a close, and breaks the news that he will never he able to go on to the " mat " again in a serious match. He still has two sound and powerful arms, but one of his knees has given way. He has had several operations to remove the water, but the limb is weak, and according to the doctors will never be thoroughly sound again. Hacketisehmidt was the man who was responsible for bringing .wrestling back into favour in this country, and his matches .with the •'mighty Turk" Madralli are still remembered.- An athlete of magnificent build, he'had colossal strength, though in the mere matter of weight he had to concede most of his opponents a stone or more, and be was very agile, and commanded all the tricks of the game. , One of the matches with Madralli end- j cd unfortunately, the Turk having a I leg broken. But it was one of those j regrettable accidents which are always j liable to occur when two enormously

strong men. moet. Afterwards TTackenschmidfc went on to the music halis and was a much more successful " turn " than, most athletes who try to acquire tho show-man's-art. Theatrical engagements took him to America., where ho mot Frank Gotch in a contest for tho eateh-as-catch-can championship of the world and was defeated. FOOTBALL. On a bright sunny afternoon the average attendance at twenty-three. football matches was 4500. In these figures is reflected tho drain hy the Army on civilian life. Last season the average attendance rarely dropped below seven thousand, except under very ■ unfavourable weather conditions. But I despite this notable shrinkage war-time football still seems worth while. It is a beneficial recreation for munition workers and an agreeable break for soldier-players from the routine of Ai my life. Tho dubs, too, are quite satisfied, though they are prsjmred to pee a substantial decline in revenue, j But expenses havo been so largely reduced that thorn is still a fair prospect of covering all standing chargcsi One aspect of the sport has created a, happy surprise. 11, was feared that there might bo a scarcity of players, I hub by a. mixing of talent most, clubs j are well represented. Take the case | of Wo=.t Ham. Against Luton in their I last match they had the help of Chedg- i Koy, M'Dougall and Maeonniichie. the ! Erorton men. Shea of Blackburn Rovers, and Cope and Hodson, who I used to be with Oldham. This cast | London club has never had such a I pc.worful side, and so fav they have i won three consecutive matches! This j feat has been equalled by Chelsea, and , everything suggests that those two I clubs are the strongest in tho Loudon | combination. Fulharn, too, have an excollent record, with an average of six j goals to one a. match, but thov have ! been defeated by Millwa'll. Half these eighteen goals have been scored by Gordon Hoars, the yountr amateur I centre-forward.' Of tile clubs in the Lancashire and Midland groups, Blackburn Rovers alone claim the maximum points, and they lead Urn Lancashire teams, with Liverpool second. Leeds | City, who won the suprdenionts:r.v ! championship of the iUid*r:nds last season, are again ahead in this section.