SPORTING AND SPORTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16508, 7 October 1915, Page 8

SPORTING AND SPORTS.

■ THE TURF. Br Sentinel. THE DUNEDIN. SPRING MEETING. The Dunedin Jockey Club will t,cart then 1 season of 1915-16 at Wingatui on Friday and Saturday, and although the acceptances are somewhat disappointing on the first day's card there-' is still plenty of material 1 engaged to provide a good meeting. Warstep has probably frightened one or two out of the Mosgiel Handicap, and she must take a. power of beating, despite her weight. The pros and cons of the handicap were discussed on the appearance of the weights, and there is no necessity to again wade through a detail of farm. Palisade should find 8.2 a fairly luxurious ■burden to some that he has carried during his career; but he is trained privately, and there is no idea as to what .is his-mission. Golden King has arrived from the south, and looks a much improved horse in appearance ; but .'it has yet to be seen whether a build up in condition also .means better work on tlie track. No great notice should .be taken of All Ready s defeat at the Kurow meeting, as ho was kept too far out of his. ground in the early' part of the race. He appears to have benefited by his trip to Ashburton, where he should havte about won on the second day.. Hence' those who are numbered amongst his admirers. have no great cause to think they are supporting a forlorn hope. A useful such as Adjutant was last season should be able to give Warstep a gallop at 431b; but, perhaps, the toughest trial horse for the top weight may prove to be Slogan. _ There is no chance of a strong field being sent, out in the Electric Handicap. / Palisade and Meltchikoff claim two engagements; but both are likely to be reserved for the sprint. Moonglow has broken down, and Wingatui has thus lost one good' chance of annexing the stake. PaJisade will probably start favourite. He meets > Pride o' Clutha on 81b better terms than in the August Handicap, run at the .National meeting, when the mare carried 9.5, and won in lmin 14- 4-saec. Pride o'' Clutha suffers slightly at times from knee trouble, but she is striding out well in her work on the plough track, although she may not go quite so -well on the/grass unless a shower or two falls before the laces. Meltchikoff ran a bit disappointingly at Geraldine, but .he had an apparently lenient task on paper, and may not ' have] been quite keyed up. On the second, day" at Geraldine Sveaborg, giving 31b, made \ a dead heat with him, , and at Ashburton Recorder made up a lot of ground to get second to* Mediey. In that race Recorder gave 81b and a handsome beating to Sveaborg. Meltchikoff is exactly 3lb behind Sveaborg, and Recorder is 81b well in : front of the .Finland "gelding. .Hence, Recorder should at least account, for Meltchikoff. Aft<onLoch is a speedy beginner, and if she can stay a bit better than last year must have a chance. Robert Bell is apparently coining'back to form; but.a win from any! of those_ following Recorder would come as a surprise. The two " classics" should . prove the most interesting events of the dlay. The Dunedin -Stakes will probably attract ■ seven . starters and prove a match between the best of Mr G. G. .Dalgety's pair ..and the Chokebore Lodge brace. Snub, Adjutant, and Wishful, with Battle Eve thrown' in, -would furnish a race well Worth witnessing in the Guineas.- Redshire may, pot be quite ready to. run-out a mile, although, he finished' up, well , and full- of running when galloped ; six furlongs on Tuesday morning. , He, however, does not look so seasoned as'.', the visitors. Moddite and Crib- are almost 'sure , to divide honoure; of favouritism in the Hurdles, .and . a simi-' Jar honour may be granted Hap Dha in the Welter. The first race is timed to start at 1' p.m. each day. \

' • —Speedometer is in work again after a spell. — GoMen Rupee looks a much improved horse. - ■■■ ,- ■ . . :. :■

—The Advance gelding Micky Ere© appeals to be on the improve. '' ■ . : : — Slogan looks big, and strong and a more attractive horse than, he was last season. F.V-'E; Oones has been retained to . ride Warstepin -her engagements this season. — Hap Dha and Multoe are both shaping well! in their Work since coming to Wingatui. — A Christchurcli owiier, is credited . with landing £5000 over ;the Woorak—St. Carwyno. double. : 1 . >■ ; did not seem to exhibit his ■usual dash in his-only start at the .Kurow meeting. . • , — The jnaies-and stallibns purchased by Mr 'J. B. Rsid. in England reached Oamaiu ; ,on 'Saturday last. " i ; V The . Trotting Cup oandjdaite Albert H. is now being trained " bjr "the American trainer, C. James. . ■'rr Silver Shield, is looking big, and .well at ' present, and has thickened out during the'past few weeks. ' — Medley is again in work, and has built up as a result of' the' spell following her mishap at Ashburton. — Fritz had matters all his own way .at Kurow.' He did not jump too well; but managed to keep going. >' . — The Maltster mare' Aurarius has produced three flashes of speed *in , Croesus, Desert Gold, and Egypt. ' — A good deal of money came for Cleome in,the Trial -Plate at the Kurow meeting, but she failed to make' any. show. — The owner of The i Brewer appears to, have handed away a stake' by not lending his horse to the Kurow meeting. — Jason has not ■'been''showing any recurrencei of his blood-veSsel breaking trouble, and has been getting through useful work. : r . — Several ' members' of Parliament will probably, attend the patriotic trotting meeting to be held in Christchurch on Saturday. — The Steeplechase at Kurow was rather a farce from the . first fence, and 'it only required the band' to play to complete' the 'idea;'

— Bon appeared to be travelling fairly well in his race at Kurow, but dropped ■back after reaching the top of the rise into the straight. " , — The Wild wood .Junior—Sybil gelding Inwbod, supposed to have cost a big price, ran just an ordinary race in the Mile Trot at the Kurow. " •; "

. — "Warstep and Snub ran over .10 furlongs at Riccarton on Saturday in 2.11 2-5/ Both travelled well after going the; first; halfi: in 50 ,'4-5, and, six furlongs- in l; 16 3-5. . - —It seemS as if one should hot take the running of some Cup, candidates too seriously. They someetimes niake no show in a race, and yet hold their place in the market.

— Adjutant , and ; Battle Eve ran over a mile on Saturday in 1.45 1-5. Adjutant is expected in some quarters to prove the best - "of Sir George, Clifford's three-year-olds. — Woorak, .the winner. of .the 4.J.C. iiipsqm Handicap; was got" by Traquair—Madam, by ' Pilfrim's from Madcap, the dam of. Malvolio, Maluma,-Ghesney, and Vanity Fair. ; — The Grafton colt , Cetigneifollowed up lis/ success in the Derby by winning the Clibborn | Stakes, nijie furlongs, in-lmin 45Jsec, The. • time, however, reads far too good to beXtrue. . — ; Redshire is growing, into a good sort .of a three-year-old. He shapes. well in. his work up to six furlongs, and finished up full of running when'galloped over that distance op. Tuesday. — Don Kubyl looked as if he would have won the Kurow Steeples by a mile when he baulked at the water. He was commencing to go away from; the field when he stopped. — Golden King has built up in a pleasing manner since; last season, and if good; looks have not been acquired at the expense of racing condition he . should show , improved form this year. Tokarahi was sent out a good second favourite in the Trial Plate at the Kurow meeting, but from the start only two in Finless and Helicon had anything, to do with the result. . ' ; — Sandetorm, a three-year-old, bred right, as he is by, San Francisco—Windwhistle, is slow in coming to hand. So far,.lioweverj "Windwhistle has only produced one worthy of ■notice in Full Sail. ' - • • i .... ■

— List, season' St. Carwyne won the Spring Stakes with 9.0 in 2min 34sec, and ran third, in the : Metropolitan .with 7.5 to St. Spasa and; PsyttXi He also won the Melbourne States last Novembsr.

— There was gome talk of Ambassadress, a two-year-old filly by King's Guest—Amber, having a chance -in the ; Trial Plate at the Kurow meeting, but;, the race provided no , to her'racing merit, as she was left standing. at the post. ' — John ; Barleycorn .appears to ■ have built up during , thei past two" or three weeks, arid may have to bo kept fairly busy during the next month if he ; iß to successfully negotiate two, miles at Riccaxton.

• — Stepdancer, the dam of Waistep, has been, sent on a visit to Martian, and Lady, Disdain also visits the same horse. Stardancer, Prim, and Martini visit Nassau, arid Nantes gqes to Sanquhar. ' : —Mr' GV Fulton,, the _ owner of Art .and other horses, recently imported two fillies from England. One is by the Derby winner Minora, and the other by Santry. In due course .they will be placed in training. ' — Leading Lady refused to leave the mark ih her only race at the Kurow. She is looking an improved mare, and shaping well. on the ti'aek; but it is understood ,that this is .likely '# be her last season on the turf, i —United -Service is looking bright and healthy and much ! higger than usual. The Siberia gelding has wintered well, but has not done a great deal of Work. He, however, appears to race well at times',on-a. light preparation.. —A good deal of money came, for-Doris. Wood in the, Mile Trot at. Kurow, but Doris; wouldn't. ' She hung on -the mark,and put in amix,: going . along . the back.Towards' th« finish' she came ob agaiii, to finish fourth.

— Nomes was galloped on during her race in-the-Wariganui ,Guineas, *and one of her legs slightly filled.; According to one report,

Nones got away with a flying start, and won all the way: hence it is difficult to seo how anything: galloped on her. I —The entire profits o£ the season's racing at "Wingatui axe to go to the Wounded Soldiers' Fund, and the spring meeting, taking place on Friday and Saturday, is in reality a " Patriotic Fund" meeting, although not advertised as such. ' — Charleville won Iho Ladies' Purse in a eanter last week. She had previously run third over eix furlongs, and, after Beale waited on her until reaching the straight, Charleville drew up and cut down Ormoloid in a very decisive manner, — The racing authorities should seriously consider the advisability of having a closo season ,for 'chasing and hurdling. The ground in the summer becomes forbiddingly hard, and jumping races on adamantine going seems repugnant to common sense. — Bellahire was sent out second favourite in the Belfiel<T Handicap at the Kurow meeting, in which he had no chance with Afton Loch from the rise of the barrier, as the latter got so well a.way that the beginning and end of the race occurred at the start. — The Cup candidate John Barleycorn looks big and well, but so far has not been extended, very far on the track. He ran over seven furlongs on the outside of -the course proper on Tuesday; but other' Cup candidates have been racing over a mile and a-quarter. — Redshire is growing- - into a rather attractive three-year-old, and if he goes to the post in the Dunedin Guineas will not be found lacking; in looks in comparison to the rest of the field. Redshire has come on a good deal since he raced at the Ashburton meeting. 1 ' — The Boniform horse Ringform is doing a light season at the stud, and will go into training again. He has furnished into a really .nice horse, ' and it is to be hoped that such a, well-bred, good-looking sort will win further distinction oh the turf before being finally retired. —-Finless, the winner of the Trial Plate at Kurow, was .got by ' Finland from Ziephyr, a. sister ,to Mist (dam. of Vladimir), Brisa (dam of John Barleycorn), and Pampero. She ■ got well away, and led from end to. end, but did .not have a great deal to spare from Helicon at the finish. ' —The well-known mare Petrovna, who is now on a visit to Kentlock, has a fine colt foal at foot to Masterpiece. The youngster is about as lively a foal as one could wish to see, and a credit to its sire and dam. The Kilcheran mare Oratava, also owned by, Mr F. Nelligan, is also on a visit to Kentlock.

— The Martian—Lady Lillian colt Thestius is more like his. sire than anything the writer has ever seen got by the Mart&gon— .Otterden j horse.,. Thestius .is smallish. compactly built, but walks and-moves along on the track in a taking manner. He minds" one' very much of Martian when he first appeared m public. ■ — So far as the A.J.C. spring meeting has progressed up to Metropolitan' day, Reputation has not lost any of his laurels in splitting winning honours in the Spring Plate, run under 9.0 in 2.32, and gaping a .place in the Metropolitan, which is not ,by ariy means an .easy race to gather by any horse handicapped on fully exposed form. — Simon- Pure found his way to the happy hunting grounds' per medium of a trip over Traditor as the latter lay on' the ground after throwing out at the-first' fence in the Steeples on the Kurow programme. Simon Pure as a result of the fall bad l / dragged the -musqlee of . one of his shoulders, and it was -deemed advisable to introduce the " happy ; despatch;" — A place-getter in the shape of Mountain Deer in the Kurow Steeples'looked as if he had strajred into the field by accident. He is a greait carty sort, quite in his place at the plough, or between the shafts, but •out of place' ori; a racecourse; after several refusals at the water, he finally scranibled over, landed in the ditch, and, after emerging, then .went, on flippity-floppity togather 12sovs; third money. :i / , A fairly big price is supposed to have been /paid. ,for Tamarisk, the winner of the mil© and arhalf trot at the. Kurow Tamarisk shaped like one that will see a much better mark than, the 3.45 1-5,' which was hung out against him last week.. He is a three-year-old colt got by Wildwood Junior—lola;' she by Blackchild (son, of Rothschild) from Arrogance. Here, endeth the lesson in. Tamarisk's breeding for Arrogance, is a mare whose pedigTee is" "wropt in mystery." . .. — Expressing an opinion about a race one ; does not see is not wise. For . instance; it has been stated that All Ready ran a bad race at the Kurow meeting. As 1 a matter of fact-All Rejidy ran. a really good -race in standing up'to Robert Bell and Lion half a dozen lengths ;or so in half a . mile, .and;; then not . olnly' 'finishing joh r top of them, but looking as if he would beat them out of eight at seven furlongs. A horse's form, like other thing®, depends a good deal on "circumstances" of the case.

—0. Christie has experienced • bad luck 'in ,Moonglow going out at a: time whenh£ had ' Jhe Treadmill^—Sunglow gelding- looking and .galloping Abetter thin ( what lias been the case " since . being " trained "sft Wingatui. Sound and ..well, M'oonglow • would in all probability; • have been-one of the best Treadmills seen ',on the turf; hut for the. suspicion of unsoundness Moonglow might never 'have corner to Wingatui. The seat iof' the' trouble is in the off fore fetlock,■: which has always been a source of trouble and anxiety.': . ■ — Mr ,M. Triedlandor has sent ,Brave Water Watercourse, ajid Lady Kolmar on a visit to Kentlock. As Whirlpool >is to be bred' to the same horse, it will be : seen that the son of Maltster will have a grandmother daughter;, and grand-daughter . in-his list! Other mazes Hooked to' Kentlock include' Sweet Ann, -Sister: (St; Ambrose.-Sussanah), Algarve (Vasco—Argon), two'Stepniak mares, 'Whiplash (Treadmill—TeTedina), Diffidence (Pilgrim's Progress—Kitty), The . Spike, Lady Rosslyn, Tourmaline, Jessie; Lewais, Moll? Riley, and Bronzewing, the dam of Marvelite. — All Ready looked in better shape when he stripped at the Kurow meeting than he did at Ashburton. The Aerina gelding is usually good of! the mai;k,' but in the Kurow Handicap he- was seven' or eight lengths away from Robert Bell and Lion after going a little over a furlong. Turning for * the straight, , All Ready. made up ground, and at the finish was on Lion's quarters, whilst Robert Bell; with nothing to spare, won by half, a: length. The race was' not by any means fast, and if All Ready had been 'kept anywhere near the leaders he could not have lost, the - race. i-.

k —After, Aiton Loch slipped her field and won the' Belfield Handicap from end" to ejid, - the . writer heard one or two condemning J. M'Combe for 1 having the; temerity to steal an advantage' at • the? start.- !'The only one to blame in' such a'case' is . the starter, and a rider who would riot take advantage of opportunity is much belter on the ground. One might, • with as much reason,, say, that a horse-fired into a handicap or something with a series of w.f.a.. or special event races at its mercy, should' te : kept ;in its box instead 1 of being '• allowed' to make "haywhilst the sun shines:. It .is 'hard l 'enough to win under' ordinary,.,circumstances, and no one can be blamed /for. making the most of a good / 1 "' — Eobert. Bell ; has not appeared: in public since he ran at the Dunedin winter meeting ovejr 12 months ago; but, heVmade a winning, re-appearance despite the lack of what threatens to become the proverbial necessity of a "race" before a success can come any horse's, way without previously figuring as one of the, also started. . Since his last appearance in public Robert Bell has joined the ranks of geldings. He had little or nothing to spare beyond his half-length margin from Lion. Robert is a , very keen galloper, and in his case a "demonstration", under silk' may not 'bo necessary to bring him to. the top of his-form. Still, no doubt, horses,' like wise men—if there are any— improve their manners and foim as the result bf. experience.

— Mr R. 8., Harley is labouring under a very serious misapprehension if h£ tliinks a good start is effected by getting a field well in line except, that one, whilst, completing the line, comes in on a smart move, and at the rise of the barrier gains several lengths whilst the others are. breaking into their first stride,' It is distinctly unfair that some ; horses, usually well behaved, stand flat foot at the barrier whilst others fractious, or apparently so, get away on the move as - a result of "undue consideration. It is nothing more or less than putting a premium on fractiousness. If such a state of : affairs becomes common, it would lead to chaos at the start, and we would then be. waiting until to-mofrtjw for the race that should have, started yesterday. LAWN TENNIS. . 'By' Smash.. , , .. The Otego, Club does not appear likely to take its. tennis very seriously this- year, a •result' arising out of the abnormal conditions prevailing. The opening, day was .■held, on Saturday afternoon, but was not marked by, anything in the nature of an ''official ceremony. Since last season.the club has lost -about 20 of its male members, some 15 or 16 of these having joined the 'fighting forces of the Empire. This defection will naturally have its effect on play, but the lady membership is quite full, and the club should therefore bo in no serious danger of languishing. The season was opened quietly at the St. Kilda ■ Courts- - on Saturday, the ceremony being accompanied by no official flourish of trumpets.. There was a fair attendance of members, but only about 10 men, and this number will probably represent the full strength of the club during the present season. D. "Hart has got into form very quickly, and is already playing a very fine game. A, serious loss irom the rank's of the club is that of Miss Hodges, who, J understand, has joined Moana. •• j Miss LoCfchart, late of Balmaccwen,. and • Miss Hodges,'o'f-'St. Kilda, . have both joined Moana, while North-East Valley has also lost several of its lady members. In addition, complaints are heard from sever'al of the, smaller clilbs that their, ladies are "throwing in their lot with the bigger clubs. T&is cufltom--though not oiw to be com-

mended as a general principle—has always prevailed in the past, and it is one that could very well be dropped this season. It would have been thought that at a time like the present the ladies would have recognised their opportunity by remaining loyal to their clubs and showing a greater amount of keenness than usual. So far, however, a proportion of them have riQfc dono their share, and they would do well to bestir themselves, for the path of their duty is plain. ,

The Wellington Association annual meeting waa held in September. The meeting decided to discontinue interclub .vents ana tho provincial championships for 1915 at any rate, but a metropolitan meeting will be run, and profits will be used for the soldiers. The Management Committee had almost disappeared—enlistment, claiming them nearly all, and naturally the lion, secretary, Mr D. Murray Kean, was left with all the load to carry, and he carried it well. The season, as far as association activities arc concerned, will be quiet, but by looking ahead good work can be done by the management. The annual meeting of the Canterbury Association -was held on September. 14. The report stated that the past season had been a .very busy one for tho association, and probably was the most successful in its career. The number of affiliated' clubs had increased in the year from 34 to 47. The number of affiliated players was 2148, a gain of 328. Close on 200 tennis players from clubs in Canterbury had enlisted at the time the report was _ published. _ Canterbury will not-play any interprovincial matches this year, and it can be taken for granted that this will be the general course throughout New Zealapd. Tennis players generally will regret to hear that,Mr E. J. Ross has lost his two sons' by .the war.