RACING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18324, 14 February 1923, Page 12

RACING.

!'/ SEASON'S FIXTURES,. it . : - ' * i-' . February. 15. 17—Taranaki Jockey Club. Feb. ! ,l{i and - 17.—Poverty Bay Turf Club. February 17,.,19—Thames Jockey Club.' >%,. February 22, Wang&nui Jockey Club. 1f.:".-;] March 1. Nelson Jockey Club. |„'i" March 3. K—To Aroha. Jockey Club. \ }:'■' March 9. 10—Napier Park Racing Club. }'i ! March Nfcaruawfl.hia Racing Club. , ! . March. 14. 17Ohinemuri Jockey Cltt'o. • i.4S March 17—Masterton Racing Club, i' .. ; March —Opunako Racing Club, sMarch 21, Rangitikei Racing Club. <: : March 21—Bay ol Plenty Jockey Club (at i*.-:: Avondale) . March 21—Opotiki Jockey Club(atTakapuna) March 31, April BAuckland Racing Club. {;*;'■ April 7, —Avondale Jockey Club. ,; April 12, Wellington Racing Club. April 19, 21Manawatu Racing Ciu»>. : v / DATES OF COMING EVENTS. February IB—Tarnnaki Cup. February 17—Otahuhu Trotting Cup. February 22—"VVanganui Cup. . March 31—Great Northern Oaks. * March 31—A.R.C. Easter Handicap. April 2—Great Northern St, .Legor. April —All-aged Stakes (Avondale). ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. " T'j Kowhai."—Wars top was foaled in 1910. She was relegated to the fitud in 1916. and produced her first foal in 1917. A.L.. Cambridge.—See pages 443, Ruff's Guide. The following ia the declared distances: —Mile, ,1760 yards: a. distance. 240 yards; ft furlong, 020 yards. 1 " Good Sport."— (by HallowmasMa Mie Rosette) was bred by Mr. G. F. Moore, and, as far as can be ascertained from the- records, the gelding has been raced by that sportsman all through his career. " Northerner."The totaliuator investments at Auckland Racing Club's meetings in the season of 1920-21 stand at the head of the list. The partiiulars aro aa follow: —Number of meeting I'. fo.ir; days racing. 11l number of races. &>» totalisator investments. tf1.146.450. _ NOTES BY PHAETON. THE TARANAKI CUP. The TiranaJd Jockey Club's Autumn ' Meeting opens to-morrow, and it is ©leasing to find matters _ shaping well ; for the old-time club having * stmcesaful gathering. Th» leading, event of ; the meeting is. of course, the Taranaki Cup. and, with 11 horses engaged, there lit ample material for a;a interesting contest. Kick Off, who he ad si the list with 0.10. won the . Egniont Cup laut week, but he has 101b more < to carry in the event under review, and he v certainly is confronted with a stiff task. Sunart. who is in receipt of a stone from the top-weight. anfl Mark Time (8.3). were included among the lot that Kick Off vanquished at Hawera. but they may both be ablo to give the All Black gelding a at ranger race in to-morrow's contest. The following is a. list of the horses engaged in he Taxanaki Cup:— _l 11-

hurdle race contests. >Judging from what is stated. tho atmosphere irarrounding several hurdle races that have liken pl&cq in .AtpUMd during the past few months was not *« it should be, ana ; : iron certain tactic# and operation noted there ia certainly something to support the view that infringements of the rules have occasionally been resorted to in a flagrant maimer. To those -rrho are inclined to incur : a war risk it is wcU to' remind that there is such a thing as taking the pitcher to the ■well once too often, and a period on the disqualified liaV is not a satisfactory position : to cultivate. The stipendiary stewards are ; entitled to ' every support in their effort* to ■ otanbat this actions of those •who. seek to lower tho standard of racing contests. MATTY KITTLE AT WINGATUI. A pleasing feature at the Dunedin autumn ■' nectinir was to find Many Kittle back to form. The sen of Winkle having run unplaced in ' the three engagements he was called upon to ■ fulfil silica he clipped the wins# of Gasbag, I "Winning Hit, and Co. in the decision of the Stead--Memorial Cup at Riccarton in j November last, ho had lost caste, and some were inclined to doubt the value of his airing performances. At Wingatui. last -week the ■m' . chestnut eeldin* won the Homes' Handicap "t and Hazletfc Memorial Plate, and, an ho beat the brilliant ' Glentruln in the last-named l event at a/difference of only Blb, there was real merit in his performance. Many Kittle has contested '12 races this season.'and he has won exactly half of his engagements, and 'bis earnings in stakes ran out to £2965.

-VICTORIAN AUTUMN HANDICAPS. . The full Hat of handicaps for the two important events of that class wet down for decision at the Victoria Racing Club's Autumn Meeting are now to hand- In the Newmarket Handicap Whittier (winner of the Caulfield Cup and V.R.C Derby) appropriately heads the list, among the three-year-olds, and the !;t--j-B.Bj pished opposite his name represents an impost in conformity with weight-for-age seals. " The V.R.C. St. Leger is, however, it is thought, more likely to* claim Whittier as .a starter than the Newmarket Handicap. A three-year-old in whom a lot of interest is centred is Polytheist. who has not yet been called upon to carry silk this season. The V.R.O. Landicapper has not chanced anything with Polytheist, 1 for he is called upon to carry 8.7. The Auckland-owned Royal Blood is not harshly treated with 3.7. but it is' unlikely that, the son of Our King will make tha trip to Flemington. In the Australian Cup the four-year-olds. Stare and Harvest King, are .rated as of eaual merit, and 9.0 (weight-for-age) is down against their respective names. King Ingbda; who will be .remembered as bringing off a surprise in. the Melbourne Cup under 7.1, is now weighted at 8.13, so that he is called upon to pay the full penalty for his success at Flemington in tha spring. The New Zealand-bred colt The Cypher is awarded pride of place among tha ear-olds, 8.7' being opposite his name. and, m the son of Martian is placed Bib above the respective Derby winners— Rivoli and Whittier—the V.R.C. handicappor 'makes it quite' clear that* in his opi».ion,*the two Australian-bred colts were luoky in ! not having The Cypher as an opponent when the Derbies were contested respectvely at Earidwick and Flemington last spring. \ THE COUNTRY COMBINE. Whs* may bo teemed the third " round ir the country combine undertaken this season by the one-day country clubs in the Auckland district has been completed with the holding of the Te Kuiti and Taumarunui Racing ' Club'a meetings. Though in-some cases a shrinkage in totalisator receipts had j to be noted, the combined pool bulks largely, and it should only require fine weather for the holding of the Bay of Plenty and Opotiki | Clubs' meetings next month to further swell the receipts, for the first-named body holds ! its gathering at Avondale. while the latter is to race on the Takapuna course. The following is a comparative statement of the tctalisator receipts at the six meetings so far held by clubs in the combine: — , 1922. 1923. £. k. Waipaß.C. .. .. 27.4024 .* 17.949 Rotorua R.C. . . $7,485 .. 20.494J Dargaville R.C. . . 8,273 .. 60.617 Bay of Islands J.C. 6.916* ~ 42.460 Te'Kuiti R.C. .. 22.552 .. 22,158 Taumarunui R.C .. 10.874& ~ 21,700 , £112.5031 . . £175.3781 It may be explained for the enlightenment of those who are not in complete touch with I the situation governing the combine that the Rotorua,; Club held its meeting on the Waipa Racing Club's course, the Dargaville and Bay of Islands raced at Ellerslie, and the Taumarunui Club held its gathering on the Te Kuiti course. AINTREE STEEPLECHASE COURSE, The Liverpool executive have added a most interesting. race to the Grand National fixture at Aintrco this year in the Liverpool Foxhuntors' Steeplechase, to be decided over the full national course. Only animals that have been regularly and fairly hunted with any recognised pack of foxhounds in Great Britain or the Irish Free State during the seasons 1921-22 or 1932-23 are qualified, and. ■a amateur riders are also essential, the race , bids fair to become, a thoroughly sporting a affair. The race, if nothing - else, should /. go a long way toward deciding • the * vexed ,: -Question or - the, .severity.,. of , the Aintree 'i->country.;--':;; '■■■'*■■'■*'■ •/•'.•--.* ; ■ i-v; ,-,(.» .■ .:<>■■■■.■ v.s-■

BOOKMAKERS AND LICENSING. ' : The licensing of. bookmakers in ■: England has • : long" | been mooted, but 0 with no lead:; from the Jockey ■> Club, matters .have been : ; allowed to drag p along ; ; on the same old lines r that;? have .existed for over half'a century. As the law now stands in England i it: is pointed out \by the London ' Sportsman, that ■ the appearance of a licensed bookmaker in a racecourse enclosure would render all present liable to arrest and search. . A: f recent cablegramfrom London states that the Inland Revenue Department has proposed ;to ; the Government that betting on borees should: betaifed by the licensing of all bookmakers and taxation of i the winnings ■ ; of "their patrons. This is a proceeding well out of the ordinary and with the great bill far which the United States Government holds Britain liable, all channels likely to furnish additional revenue to the Treasury will require to be explored and the licensing of bookmakers in the Old Country may not be so very far away. That is if the totalisator or the pari-muiuel, as they prefer to call the instrument in England, is not legalised- , . . LEAVES FROM MY NOTEBOOK. A sories of recommendations issued .by the licensing committee acting under the New Zealand Racing Conference to the various clubs under its jurisdiction is another illustration of the keen oversight that is being observed by those in authority. The recommendations in regard to a minute being forwarded to the Racing Conference for uny lapse on the part of trainers or jockeys, on or off courses, is a step in every way justified and will serve to maintain a standard that should act to the advantage of those following the respective profession's named. That the recommendations %>! the Licensing Committee will be received in <iho spirit intended is to be expected, and, acccapted as such, the result should have farreaching effects by ensuring a standard of conduct that will serve to raise trainers and jockeys to positions in keeping with the responsibilities which they are required to fulfil. - - '-. '. •''',■ ; Luck has certainly not been on the side of Glentruin since she wound up with, three successive victories in the spring. At the A.R.C. Summer Meeting the chestnut mare beat all her field in the Railway Handicap with the exception of Royal Blood (to whom she was conceding 251b). and in the Newmarket, Handicap she ran second to Pavo. conceding her Australian-bred rival 231b.- In v each race Glentruin was within a neck of the winner, and she was handicapped further by having to run her race against Pavo on a holding course. At the Wellington meet- : ing Glentruin was produced to contest the Waterloo Stakes, and in that raoe aba filled the role of runner-up to Raszle Dazzle. Transported to Wingatui. Glentruin was saddled up to contest the Haslett Memorial Stakes, but the three-year-old Many Kittle met her on the D.J.C. ground, and another " second" for the English-bred mare was the record to be entered up. Mr. John Patterson having paid 4 up tor Surveyor in the Taranaki Cup it would seem safe to conclude that the son of Nassau ban trained on properly. If that be so a good race may be expected from him at Taranaki. for hie dash for victory in the Anniversary Welter Handicap at Takapuna on the 29th ult. under 10.5 revealed that he was far from a spent light. In the event of Surveyor figuring among the starters tor this year's Taranaki. Cup it will be the third occasion on which he has .contested the race. In 1920, at which period Surveyor ranked as a three-year-old. he won 'the cup under 8.11, and. at four years old, under the stiff impost of 0.11, he beat all his field with the exception of Warplane, to whom he was conceding 171b. It goes without saying that a win for Mr. Patterson's colours in toSorrow's race would be a highly-pleasing incident to chronicle. ' . . The latest slogan in England in "rubber shoes for racehorses." and this has been brought about by the announcement that Light Dragoon, the 100 to 1 chance, which carried off the Cesarewitch. wore shoes which were separated from its hoof by a rubber pad. The shoes were afterwards exhibited in London. The idea is by no means a new one so far as Australia is concerned. For many years, especially on the hard, tracks around the north, Mr. H. P. McLachlan never started a horse unless it carried the rubber pad. He simply placed a piece of i rubber across the hoof, and then the blacksmith nailed on the shoe, and the rubber was pared away, to the exact shape of the hoofSatisfactory reports continue to come to hand from Wanganui bearing on the training work performed by Thespian, and sanguine hopes are entertained in regard to the son of Absurd securing a place on the -winning list at four years old. In framing the weights for the Flying Handicap (six furlongs), to be run at the Wanganui meeting on the 22nd inst.. Mr. H. Coyle placed Thespian on the same mark as Solfanello with 9.8. ~ Thespian also figures in the Jackson Stakes, which is to be run at Wanganui on the 24th inst., and, as he also figures in the All-Aged Stakes at Avondale,' he will have an opportunity i to secure a place with winners of four-figure amounts before the season closes.

The Hawk, whose sale at lOOOgns was announced last week, contested at the Egmont meeting in the nomination of Mr J. M. Cameron, so that, although the Martian gelding is to be transported to Australia, we can apparently still .claim him as owned by a New Zealander. It is stated that The Hawk is to bo shipped to Australia by an early steamer. Unfortunately the bay gelding was not nominated tor any of the important handicaps, but there is just a possibility that his purchase may have been effected in time to ..enable bis new owner to enter him for the 26th Caulfield Futurity Stakes. /■; ' . •■;;.. ;,,' The jumper, Tigeiland, who, recently passed into the ownership of Mr. Erio Itiddiford, is 'viewed in a promising light. Last season he ; won a couple of cross-country ©vents run over Riccarton, and he is credited with being a promising candidate for cross-country, honours. Tigerland can boast of a good pedigree, for he was got by Finland from Tigris, who in turn was got by Birkenhead from Tigress, a daughter of Dreadnought, and the Leolinas mare Tigredia. Tigerland is to receive his preparation ;at the hands of T. Quinlivan.... :.■). - -;',-:- , When Mr. Wenri Scholium's purchase of the three-year-old Ruapapa was announced a few days ; back, the opinion was expressed in many well-versed ; circles that ho : had none the worse of the. deal atJßOOgns. ? At Te Kuiti on Saturday last the. chestnut colt carried the colours of his new owner for the first time, and he won Cup, which brought in a third of .the sum expended on his purchases Ruapapa is a colt well worth keeping in mind. In ' The Ninth Taranaki Stakes., which comes up for decision <on Saturday ; next, has only a quartette engaged. „vjz., The Hawk. Rational. Ransack, and Valerie. The Hawk has' incurred the maximum 141b penalty, Rational, with only a Bib penalty, will have Sbe pull of the . weights compared with the Martian gelding. ■iUr-:-tV'Vj\:'::. ",v>." ,: v • If, as stated. The Hawk was bought prior to contesting at the. Egmont meeting (where he recorded a second and a first), the new owner of the son of Martian has already been recouped to the extent or £700 on the sum (lOOOgns.). which ho paid for the bay gelling. -;v-.v'y';.;- :^; "?\'''"./ Tameteto has proved ■ a bit of -a goldmine to his breeder and, owner, Mr. W. Duncan,* for up-to-date the soil of Absurd has won £5695 in stakes, viz. £1480 at three years. £2435 at four years and £1780at five years. ' '"'''"', J','/',• ' The fact of the totalisator investments at the GisbOrne Racing Club's Summer Meeting showing a considerable advance on • iast year would; appear to point to the clouds : lifting on the East Coast. " l-. "V '-- .. • ' Backers of favourites fared badly at the combined meetings at Te Kuiti for of the sixteen races decided only one was won outright by a favourite, while another managed to register a dead-heat., .- ' . •

WANGANUI NOTES. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.} , / Tamatete looked particularly well when stripped for the Egmont Stakes, and in his preliminary- moved in splendid style. He ■went well in the race, and 160 yards from the post he looked to be going very comfortably, although the Hawk had drawn up to him. Then the Martian gelains appeared to pass' him 100 yds. away but the son of Absurd put in a few big strides at the finish and got the verdict by a narrow margin. It was*a close call. Tametete might have been given a run in the Hawera Stakes next day. but heavy rain fell in the morning besides which he had' lightened up a bit and it was decided not to etart him. He will now bo kept for the Jackson Stakes, in which event he might strike most trouble from Rational, as the latter should be in-better fettle then than he ■; was ■ at, Hawera. Tjiespian is also likely to be hard to beat, though . the chances are that he will need a race or two before being able to reproduce his old time brilliancy. .• , War Loan ran a good race in the hurdles at Hawera on the first day and would probably have won, the second day but lor being interfered with three furlongs from home. The Zimmerman, gelding is at present leased by Mr. Albert Jaokßon, the well-known trainer, who has hun in capital fettle. ■■■=~ :■■.-, ••', ' , • , , . Considering that he had not raced for a long time Listowel ran two good races at Hawera in the classio events. He was up alongside of Tametete at the straight entrance in the aix furlong event, but could not see it out. On the second day he went well enough to beat Rational for second place, and the racing he had should liven, him up a lot, so that at the Waganui meeting he is likely to show to more advantage. From present appearances. Mr- Geo. M. Currie will have four good representatives at the Wanganui meeting in Thespian, Listowel, Deluge and ■ Homage, all four ot whom should be in fine fettle. The weights i'or the. first day's ©vents at the Wanganui meeting have made their appearance, and they look to nave been very carefully compiled by Mr. Coyle.' with the result that winners will be hard to .sort out.

st. lb. «t. lb. V: Kick Off .. 9 10 Stork .. 7 3 ■ Sunait ..8 10 K&wno v- 6 11 • Surveyor ..8 8 Crucell« ,.69 Mairk Tim« ..8 3 Gammy .. 8 7 Zircon ..7 8 Skylight ..6 7 Tinohoro . ..7 5