SPORTING SECTION

NZ Truth, Issue 775, 11 September 1920, Page 7

SPORTING SECTION

The big weight and the heavy going at Marton beat Sanaore. Nominations for all events at the Masterton meeting close on Friday next The high-priced Secret Link filly has • been a trifle lame lately, but the trouble is not thought to be serious. There was an inquiry at Marton into the running of Marqueteur, but the parties concerned escaped trouble. Royal Exchange is looking and going well at Trentham. The bay mare is to have her next outing at Otaki this month. The Martian— Torquato filly owned by Mr. W. Higgins, will race as Martial Dawn. She goes pretty well. on. 'the tracks. . Additional foalings at the Waikanae stud are: Lady Stewart, b.c, August 22;Margarethe, eh.c, August 24; Success, b.c, August 27; Vice Relne, b.f., August 29, all to Boniform and Mistime, b.c. to Kilbroney, August 31. Mr. Eric Riddlfbrd dearly loves a jumper, and he would far rather win a National than a New Zealand Cup. With this end m view, he is sending another horse by Advance to J.- Lowe to be trained for jumping races. T-T. Telford leaves for Avondale -.on Saturday next. He is taking 80-Peep, Militaire, Blackmail and Lady Violet. He will also be represented at Otaki by Solfanella, Flight Commander and Vindictive. ' Coalition has had his shoes taken off., and the National winner is now running out on his owner's station. About November he will be hacked about the station and then come to Trentham about the New Year. Johnny Walker is still keeping sound, but his owner is experiencing a lot of trouble m getting the lumber off him. He is' 1 an unlikely starter at Avondale and his first appearance will probably be at Masterton. That promising, horse, Blackhead, halfbrother to Bobrikoff, is commencing to make a noise when galloping. This is unfortunate for his owner, as the chestnut gelding gave every promise of reaching the top-rung of the ladder. W. Kitchener, the Sydney light-weight attached to J. Lowe's stables, was seen m the saddle at Awapuni on Wednesday. Kitchener can do G. 7, and as he has been riding for years m Sydney on the ponycourses, it can be readily seen that he has learned to be nippy at the barrier. "I don't know what to call my colt," said the hopeful owner. "All the good names seem to be used up." "Call him Al Soran," said his friend, the returned Light Horseman. "It's the name of a place m Palestine." "Right oh," said the owner, "sounds a good name." So it did, for the horse proved himself an also-ran. The likelihood of any increased permits for this season is drifting further away. Those who had charge of the measure got assurances from forty-three members that they -would support it, but the racing folks are now quarrelling amongst themselves, and there seems little chance of Mr. G. Hunter being allowed to proI ceed with the Bill.

A prominent absentee from the Avondale Cup field is Affectation. The Victorian race clubs are culling members of Parliament off. the free-ticket list. M.P. now means must pay. The steeplechaser, Bill, has been returned home and will be turned out until next hunting season rolls round. Ranglata was m the market for the Trial at Marton, but though he ran a. good race he was comfortably defeated. Vet. Martin came up from Christchurch last week and operated on Dr. Newmans horses, Battle Song and -Halifax, both of whom were affected .m the wind. The-Eardolph colt m J: Lowe's stable's, seems to be a very self-willed youngster and he often takes charge on the j tracks. It will probably be found necessary to geld him. ' The Wanganui stewards who were present at Marton last week, had to put up with a lot of mud thrown at them, over the paucity of the prize money at the coming Spring meeting. Mr. H. ID. Troutbeck, whose colors have not been seen on the racecourse for some years, has entered the Wolowa- — Float and Wolowa — La Notte youngsters for the two-year-old handicap run on the second clay of the Avondale meeting. Slumix is a most unlucky horse. There was nothing In it ' between he and Nga'konul 'at the last fence m the Hack Steeples at Marton, but here Slumix tossed out and this allowed Ngakonui to win easily. .T. McLaughlin's ' two-year-olds, Backsheesh and TOdenrtale, are both doing plenty of work at Trenthsim. The former seems to ho. a particularly smart youngster and is a certain winner as a two-year-old providing he trains on. Bonnie Maid is looking well at Trentham, but she does not seem to be galloping with her" old-time dash, Her. New Zealand Cup. engagement is to be continued, and if she goes to the post an effort will be made to get B. Deeley to ride her. With the Pari-mutual place betting a prime factor m France, the riding out rule is strictly enforced. Recently leading jockeys have been carpeted for slowing down when victory looked hopeless and at St. Cloudj one of them had to stand down for the rest of the season. Amongst the winners at Flemington last month was Strathredole (Tressady — Perdita), who was successful m the Three-year-old Handicap, 'l miie. Subsequently. Strathrodole, who is owned by Mr. L. IC. S. MacKinnon, chairman of the V.R.C, was commissioned all over Australia to win the Melbourne f Cup. There are seventy-five horses entered for the hack race on the second day of the Avondale meeting. This must be something like a record, but it will be a source of anxiety to the committee for. there is every chance to expect a field of about forty, and the question arises as to how the horses are to be accommodated on the track. The stipendiaries have reported m favor of limiting the fields to twenty-five, and with this every one will agree, but how is it to be done? Once again the Racing Conference has failed to solve the difficulty and as has been pointed out m these columns time and again, there will be an awful smash one of these days, and the7i the coroner will up and tell the Racing authorities what he thinks of them. If a committee of the Conference was to wait on the Minister of Internal Affairs and put the position before him some means could be found for reducing the size of the fields by running the events m divisions. There is the question of the totaVisator, which, of course, is paramount with racing clubs — human lives dnn't count — but the combined brains of the Conference should be able to solve the difficulty.

Opiate is touched m the wind and it will be necessary to operate on the chestnut. Several of the Trentham trainers have lately been spurting their youngsters with the colors up. Swannee River is again doing sprinting exercises at Trentham, and she may be given a run at Wanganui. The brood mare Ayah, has been booked to Absurd.- She has a fine filly by Boniform?to represent her next season. The .Wellington. owner, Mr. Wv Biggins.has "engaged ..Rislngham.; Blackhead ■ andthe two-year-old .Martian Dawn' at -the. Avond&le meeting," ■--' -" .:'.:.'-:-:. • •'• -. /■ . Lady Violet,'- the^halfisistdf ' to Miilr" tJiire,- who is: to" contest -the •'• Avoridale' Stakes, ig.a pretty .smartr.'fiTly.,. and : if she jumps out- of the barrier .= cleanly" the others will be extended . to; catch her. m Ti lt n . the alterations are. completed at ireiltham, the judge's box is to be placed some fifteen feet back '.'from the front rails and raised three feet off the ground. J his will be an innovation, the result of which will be watched with interest. Issuing cautions to some racing folk is just about as effective as tickling a shark under the chin with a feather, when you ought to harpoon it. Stipes please note. A slipping saddle, short- weight .and.being left at the post are. a trio ot" things that cost punters much; pelf and pro- - 19.211 tj'i ■ ■ ' ■ ' ■ * Have you noticed' that.wlien- some of the heads are about toY interview the" stipes, they try to look "too derried innocent, to be innocent, enough to control gee-gees? .- •. •■:;■■■. The' urge that leads punters :to try and pick the programme must be a halfbrother to the urge that makes mummy s boy always want to see a prize Kinlark, winner of the. Australian Stee- ?!? c }}. a ? c ' has been Presented by J. M. Niall to the Prince of Wales with a view to winning military steeplechases. The riding has a lot to do with winning steeplechases, and his Highness has a- good deal to. learn; but is a very fair natural horseman. After ,he has a couple of races he should he able to hold his own with the average military rider. One thing, he won t get any the worst of the handicapping, and will receive more consideration at the fences than falls to the ot of the average novice. Kinlark should be good enough, if well ridden, to win any military steeplechase, but the going' JfJL ery n dl i ffe f. ent , !n En *land to what it it he c, and the big brown gelding may not shine m mud. Bullawarra was a great tip m England for his Grand National, but he never ran up to his Australian torm or anything like it Curiof the English m jumping races. Their rich, owners, if they find a- colt not quite i m ?« ™*Siit-tor-age form, put him over jumps, and a horse running third m the Grand Prix one year may be steepio--itf," S .. n , eXt - year - In England the leppmg business is mostly confised to second-raters, as the prizes, except m one or two instances, are not very bigra i^ e> °» n i cont . ra n'. «Ie prizes are very big and there is tremendous betting, if the Prince takes'- up military steeplechasing and keeps his neck intact, £™» b ?, , a steeplechasing boom m England the like of which has never been A eer V ,, Als( ? 1 if the Prlnc e wins 6n an Australian horse, then everybody who is anybody will have to have an Australian