Sporting

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7196, 30 June 1933, Page 4

Sporting

TAKAKUA CHANGES HANDS BOUGHT BY MASTERTON SPORTSMAN PRICE SAID TO BE £SOO Word was received yesterday that the promising hack, Takakua, liadboen scratched for all Wellington engagements, and it was rumoured that he was to bo shipped to Australia. It now transpires that Takakua has been sold to Mr J. Jansen, of Masterton, for £SOO, and that he is to be given to the Opaki trainer, "Snowy” Burgess, to train. Takakua has been trained at Woodvillo for some time, but Mr, Bennott sent him down to Opaki on Tuesday last, Takakua being in the pink of condition when ho left. Ho recorded a smart piece of work on tho Woodvillo track on Tuesday morning, when he put a mile behind in 1.43; "the trestles being well out on the course proper. W. M. Bennett, who had Takakua on lease, , still has .thrco horses in his string, tho latest being a Royal Divorce'2-year-old colt bred by W. T. Bailey, of Awapuni. RETRACT IN GOOD ORDER A report from Woodville states that Retract, tho winner of the big handicap at Otaki, is in great fettle at present, and that he is showing no signs of the soreness which was apparent over the last bit in his fiTst day race at tho Maori meeting. Beacon Eire has suffered no illeffects from his Auckland outings and is in good heart for future engagements. WOODVILLE TRACK NOTES Golden Wings, Arrow Lad and Lady Nan are still enjoying a. spell, but the trio should again join the active brigade in the near future. Tommy Clarke, the .trainer of Aston, has had a bad bout of influenza, but appears to be making a slow but sure recovery. COMMENDATION’S BROTHER An interesting colt among- the two-year-olds at • prosent racing in New South Wales is Adulator, a full-brother to Commendation, and a half-brother to Pennon, Humbug, Epitaph, Homage, (dam of Honour) and Eulalio (winner of the A.J.C. Gimcrack Stakes). Many good winners have come from this family. Adulator is by Limond from imported Eulogy, a daughter of Cicero and Kalibia, by Upas from Goletta, by Galopin from Biserta, by the • triplecrown winner, Lord Lyon. Adulator is a nice colt, but is not tho impressive individual that Commendation was. He made no show in tho Eirst Nursery, won by Fleet at Randwick, and had also failed some days earlier when apparently backed from the Tight quarter. NASTY EXPERIENCE The injuries received by the English crack cross-country rider, W. Stott, in a motor accident in March were more unpleasant than anything he had ever experienced through a fall in a jumping race. Scott’s face was badly smashed when the car turned over with him, and before the plastic surgeon could remodel it several bones had to be broken and reset. In future, Stott will probably, feel safer in a steeplechase than in a motor-car.

ON THE SMALL SIDE This year’s Derby manor, Hyperion, is on the small side, in. respect of height. Ho is only 15.1, and a casual inspection would not suggest ho is that. Although efforts are being made to arrange for a match between the New Zealand horse Pillow Fight and Winooka, American papers do not suggest that at present racing is in a Very prosperous condition, over there. In such leading, racing States as Kentucky, New York and Maryland general retrenchment has , been , necessary this year, and last month ■ the "value of Maryland’s principal handicap, the Dixie, was only- 5000 dollars against 15,000 dollars in tho previous years. • Winooka will take a few weeks to get ready, and by then it is probable that New York and Maryland will be tho only eastern States leftfor him to the only eastern States left for him to hurry the horse in order to fulfil engagements will certainly bo opposed by M. Poison, who, very properly, will wish him to be at something near his best before he races. LOVE SONG’S VICTORY Love Song would have been unlucky to lose tho Paramatta Mile. D. Munro had to twice check him in order to keep him off the heels of horses that came back, on him. When that happened Love Song was on the rails, but his rider had to eventually take him to the outside. At the Leger it appeared doubtful whether Love Song would be equal to overhauling Samian King end Rowan, bnt Munro is one of Sydney’s most vigorous riders, and that helped tho chestnut to get the better of Rowan 50 yards from home. This was Love Song’s second win in Sydney, his previous one also being at Rosehill. That was the Carlingford Mile in August 1031. Between tho two races ho scored a win in Melbourne. Love Song's trainer, J. King, has. him on lease until. July of next year. : EXPERIMENT THAT TAILED \ l . ‘ » - l Attempt to Cripple Starting Price Retting. ’ In order to make it next door to impossible for starting price boqkmakers to carry on their, usual business in connection with the meeting of the Canning, Park Turf Club'on, June 10, the racing organisation decided on the un ique experiment of withholding knowledge of the acceptances on " the ; six events-till half an hour before each race instead of letting them be known to the Press on the previous Wednesday afternoon (states the Sydney Referee). It was the opinion of the management that if there were no means of discovering what horses were likely to

run in each raco till half an hour prior to their going to the post, and there was no means of finding out what jockeys were going to take the mounts, many punters who usually did their betting in town would feel compelled to go out to tho meeting. Through some cause or other tho scheme miscarried, for as early as 10 o’clock on the morning of the Taccs tho majority of the s.p. men were in possession of a list of horses that wero not going to run that afternoon; and as it turned out, all those horses had been withdrawn at noon on tho previous day, though the fact that they had been scratched was supposed to be known only to those insido the office. Business proceeded as usual—the results coming through right on time, as well as the starting prices of the winners. Thcro was evidently, a leakage somewhere, but exactly whore it occurred could not be definitely;, determined. Bookmakers who fielded on the course stated afterwards that there was no appreciable increase in tnc amount of money: in circulation, while the s.p. bookmakers claim that tho volume of business in' the' shops showed no signs of falling off. It is still a mystery how .the persons most interested came to be armod with information which it was thought was an inviolate secret. Naturally, some of tho starting prico men are jubilant in regard to what tnoy term their victory. But it is rather significant that on tho samo afternoon the police developed extraordinary activity, and roped in 11 of the brigade who claimed to havo beaten tho club FIXTURES. July 1. —Oamaru J.C. July 5. —Dannevirke Hunt Club. July 11, 13, 15. —Wellington E.C. . .July 20.—-Waimate District: H.C. July 22.—Hawko’s Bay Hunt Club.