SPORTING.

Northern Advocate, 28 June 1924, Page 7

SPORTING.

There nre some wcil-known gallopers among the useful recruits to the hurdle game this winter. Boomerday, Jovial, Molyneux, Admiral Codrington, Tenterfield, .Solfanello and Royal Star form a pretty good contingent. Master Peter, the promising young steeplechaser wno went lame after n. schooling gallop at Dunedin, is unlikciv to be aeen out again this winter. Captain Sarto is reported to have lightened up a good deal after racing at Dunedin, and since then he has only been doing easy work. He lms been nominated for Trentham. Gardenia won the first race of her career w'hen she was successful at Napier last week, and she score! "again at Hastings. She is a three-year-old by Boniforni —Maltegarde, and is one of S. Waddell's team at Greenmeadows. It is reported that Royal Box recently got foul of a wire and is not likely to be seen out for some time.

Mahuru has put. up a flue performance, winning within a week :i hack steeplechase and the Park Steeplechase, at Napier and the big event at Hastings, in which she away weight to the whole field. She is a seven-year-old by .Merry Moment —Hill La?s, and made her first appearance on a. racecourse last winter, when she was third in a hack and hunters , event fit Dannevirkc. At her next outing she was second to Glentui in the Pakuranga Hunt Cup, a month later she won the Manawatu Hunt Cup, and after one more start (in the Waikato Hunt Cup) she was put aside, until the recent Wan garni i meeting, where' she ran second to Buckeye in the hack steeplechase on the first day. This gives her a total record of eight starts, four firsts, two seconds and one third. She is trained by W. Garrett, Sir Roseberry's owner. Alteration, who won over hurdles at Xapier last week and again at Hastings on Wednesday, was a good performer early in his career. After a long spell he began to show form about this time last year, but had to be eased up after the Hawke's Ray mooting. He is a half-brother, by E'evation, to Fisher, a Great Northern Hurdles winner. Fisher was eleven years old when he won at Ellerslie, and that will be Alteration's age in a few weeks. Alteration won the Avondale Cup nearly five years ago and the Winter Hurdles at Trentham three years back. Sturdeo had been off the scene for twelve months when he ran unplaced in the Hunt Club event at Napier last week, but he must have improved rapidly, for the June Steeplechase, which he won on Thursday, his next outing. He scored in the same event three years ago, having won the Park Steeplechase at Napier the previous week, and he went on to Riccarton and landed the valuable Lincoln Steeplechase. Rising twelve years, by Advance from the Derringer mare Roselyn, he is a fine juniper, but not sound. Every one of the ten starters in the Park Steeplechase on Saturday completed the course, and the race was n really good one from start to finish (says the "Hawke's Bay Herald,,)- Kipling was tailing the field all the way, and unless his form was all wrong the jumpers at Dunedin must have been a poor lot. San Forte was favourite, but the Hglitly weighted division made the pace too not for "him in the heavy going. Buckeye win a solid race, all the way, but had to strike his colours to a better one on the day. This was Mahuru, who won rather easily. Pitch had his first success in the colours of Mrs W. Howard, whose husband died some little time ago, when ho won at Napier last Saturday. He is a five-year-old by Merry Moment— Shona May, by Treadmill—Edna May, by Multiform —Helen Faucit. Guianforte sired Passin , Through, the winner of the Napier Steeplechase. Passin' Through was sold a few months age for 28 guineas. His contributions to the fund since then amount to about 500 sovs. It looks as though Passin' Through will win some more money before the jumping season is over. The progeny of the defunct Merry Moment are good in soft going. At Xapier they had three wins each day, the successful ones being Mahnru (twice), Merry Bells, Comical, Jovial, and Pitch. Grey Star, who won the light-weight point-to-point of the South Canterbury Hunt the other day, is said to be identical with, the winner of the Waikato Hunt Cup in 1919. Oakleigh, the ami Grand National winner, finished behind Grey Star in that race, but lost ground "by taking the wrong course.

"YOU'RE GETTING THE 'FLIT —HAVE A PULMONA. ,, Recently two Auckland business men were walking into town—one enjoying his morning pipe, but the other coughing and sneezing and constantly wiping , his inflamed eyes. "You're getting the 'Flu, old man," said his companion, and taking a small box from his pocket he added, "here, have a Pulmona." So wonderful was the improvement that upon reaching town, the sufferer bought a 2/0 tin" of PulmoiKhs for hfmself. and next morning ho was almost well again. Pulmonas positively saved him from the 'Flu, and they will protect you in the same way from any winter chest or throat afiVHion. Pulmonas dissolve in the mouth; their soothing vapours net directly upon throat and lungs and relieve instantly. Get a 1/<> and 2/fi tin at any chemists, or send price to Bt.ac.ey Bros., Box 882, Auckland. Trial package sent for 3d in stamps. 3

Present indications are that th::re will be more two-year-olds in work at Xapier Park this spring than there 'has been for many a year past. H. Neagle will have about a dozen in hand for Mr W. G. Stead, while S. Wadde!!, G. Jones and J. O. E. Jones will also have several in hand. Mr W. Holster has been feeding Lady Arch, and she will probably be sent in any time now. W. E. Wilson has Tom Moore doing steady work in view of the hurdle races at the next Whangarei meeting. W. Donaldson, who has been engaged as a trainer at Devonport, has come to settle in this district, and \s locate.! at Kamo. He has Lady Lois, Take Take, and a maiden, and as he is leasing Ljidy Lois she will be eligible for the local races at the Whangarei meeting. In future Don- will race in the interest of W. O'Leaiy, and wiU be tried ovov hurdles. The Demosthr-nes gelding i s rising nine years, but if his tiai-jer can keep i-mi sound he should mike a useful hurdler. There is a good number <.f horses about Wl angarei this year, and the local races at Kensington -bould fill well. It might b<: a good move to make the County j.landicrp six furlongs instead of five; this policy would tend in time to improvo the standard of the local horses. W. Woods has shifted his quarters and is now at the Whangarei Racing Club's stables, where he will have first-rato accommodation. The filly Lacemaker is already showing the benefit of the care that this trainer has bestowed on her. Th<> addition of £200 to the stakes to be j-iven by the Whangave ; Racing Clu 1 this year, bringing the total for the two days to £2500, lias ceen causing a good deal of speculnf.-.n among loc-.l owners. Opinions differ as to how the cxt.ru money should be distributed, but most people will agree that the Cun might well be raised ."rom. £300 to £050. It is wise to encourage good cla.-:s horses, for they bring the crowd, and there is always support for a good The Park Handicap, the big race on the second day, should be worth more than £200; in fact, £240 would not be out of the way. This would leave £110 still to be distributed, and the committee imrjlit do worse than put £25 on to each of the sprints, making the Man aif i £200 and the President's £175. Then the hurdle races would do with a lift. Riding fees in these events are larger than in flat races; infact, just about, double, so that u:ider existing conditions a losing rider's fee in a hurdle race at Kensington is greater than a similar fee in the Cup, and the winning feos are a-milsirly proportioned. In the consideration of stake-? there is an opportunity to induce owners to pay more attention to the hurdle races, and thus to encourage better fields and more spirited business on the machine. So far as the other events n.ro concerned, the stakes perhaps need little revision; but other details might receive attention. Each day there is a : even furlong hack race and a mile race in the same class. Last year there were four starters in the mile race on the first day, while the seven furlong events had fields of five and fix respectively. This suggests that so ecrly in t.<e season the mile events tire considered rather far for hacks. It is difficult, of course, to .act variety into the programme, but perhaps a. good field of hacks could be got for a six furl >ng race or. the first day and seven on ihe second, while a hack welter each .jay, seven furlongs find a mile, ?ay, attract another lot pf horses. They? are just suggestions, which perhaps will be considered worthy of some attention. One has only got to pit down ar.d study a programme for a little while to realise how many diffic\i!ties confront those who have to frame programmes, except, of course, for tin very big meetings thar. have almost numbers of hors.s to cater for. As the Whangarei meetings develop and increaso in popularity —they are sure to continue doing so —the task of the will become easier. Meanwhile it ~ls essential that the utmost <?are shoult. be taken in rhe preparations for each year's met.ting, and it is well thr.t aU who are interested in the wellbeing of the Whongarei Racing Club should express their opinions and try' to help. It is with that idea in view, and with a full sense of appreciation of the good work How. in recent years, that these lines are written.