AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2978, 12 April 1911, Page 56

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Bit Taxhoa.

April 10. The Auckland Easter meeting, which opens on Saturday, promisee to be a particularly good sporting fixture. The final payments certainly give cause for great expectations. The Easter Handicap acceptors number 23, and the event is generally regarded as a very open one. Antoinette e till holds first place as favourite, but Fort William, with his Napier Park double to recommend him, is sure to be well supported. Kakama and Soultoria are also regarded with favour, while the Papakura representative Sedition niust be reckoned with. Of the visitors Boanerges is sure of strong support, after his Manawatu running. Flying Soult comes first in favour among the light weights, and Sea Elf will certainly run well. Her track work has been encouraging. Eleven youngsters still claim engagement in the Champagne Stakes, of which five come from without the province. Mies Winsome is Auckland’s main hope, and it is confidently anticipated she will repro- ! duoe her host for ue on Saturday. Malwa has come on in an encouraging way recently. and is bound to run well. Orton o u performances must be very hard to beat aiW Miscount will find many supporters. ™he bright weather at the end of last »r'v*k enabled trainers to get some useful ’SWrk out. of their horses on the Ellerslie track- The course was somewhat slow 03 a result of recent heavy rains, but some the times registered running outside the titostles were instructive. Antoinette, the Juister Handicap favourite, covered six furlongs in company with Master Theory in Imin 21 3-ssec. * They finished abreast, trtvfc on pulling up it was noticed Antoinette was a trifle sore, which indicated- that the result of her fall' early in the week had not completely worn off. Kakama and Santa. Rosa were associated over seven furlongar. The former finished best in irntn 32:1-ssec. Fort William, Monoplane, and Coromandel left the anile post together. The last-named did not show up well. Fort William easily accounted for in the run home. Time, imin 52sec. Sea Pink and Bellah finished six furlongs together in Imin 23 l-ssee. Solus accounted for Blue Garment over five furlongs in Imin 7 2-ssec. Our Queen could not keep pace with them. Soultoria and sea Elf covered seven furlongs in Imin 32 l-6sec. / The former had a slight advantage. Delegate did the circuit in convincing style in 2min 8 4-ssec. . Master Jack had no difficulty in accounting for Worcester over six furlongs, covered in Imin 23 3-ssee. Duma beat St. Ohinax with ease over five furlongs in Imin 7 3-ssec, Mary Ann took a fraction less. Tattoo alone did five furlongs in Imin 5 l-ssec. Peggy Pryd-e took Imin sseo for the same distance. Over a Half-mile Glad Tidings beat Cloudy Dawn in 52 l-ssoc. Regain took Imin 54sec for a mile. ’ Miss Winsome covered five furjongs in Imin 6 l-ssec. Malwa, Turbine, Gold Size, and Tranquil each took Imin 7sec for the same distance. . The ’chaser Atlantic has not been doing much work of lat£. He has a soi’e back. Prophet is giving every satisfaction in Inis preparation over hurdles. Hoanga also is jumping faultlessly, and is showing improved pace. Miss Explosion died away somewhat after a round of 10 hurdles. Master William, First Barrel, and Exoalibur each got through some useful fencing, . .

Hon. J. D. Ormond’s string, consisting *of Formby, Miscount, Woodhey, Faunus, and Bootle have arrived at Ellerslie. Orton and Directoire will be Mr Greenwood’s. representatives at the Auckland Easter meeting. Neither Sir George Clifford nor Mr J. H. Prosser will now be represented. North-East and St. Bill have arrived from Wanganui. Boanerges, who has jumped into favour for the Easter Handicap after his brilliant but unlucky performance in the Manawatu Stakes, has arrived at Ellerslie. Sedition is getting through useful work at Papakura, and is said to be at his best, having improved considerably since the summer meeting

Mr '"W. Richardson, temperance advocate, convened a meeting last week to discuss the Gambling. Act of 1910.- The meeting was attended by 40 odd ex-bookmakers, their clerks, and other interested persons. Mr Richardson stated that he was opposed to all forms of gambling, and especially that through the legalised totalisator. Several speakers remonstrated against the bookmakers being sacrificed for the totalisator. Statistics were quoted to show that a very large percentage of the investments on racing went to the half-dozen most wealthy racehorse-owners. The meeting unanimously resolved —“ That in the opinion of this meeting the discrimination between the bookmakers and the totalisator by the

Legislature, as has been done by the Gaming Bill, is not only unnecessarily harassing and offensive, but is also inequitable, for if gambling or betting is to be denounced when indulged in by private citizens. it is still more to be reprobated and condemned when practised and sanctioned by th© Government.” TROTTING.

On Saturday the Auckland Trotting Club brought, their autumn meeting to a close. The , weather conditions were perfect and the attendance good. The totalisato.r receipts for the three days amounted to £14,630, as against £10,640 for the previous autumn meeting. Last year bookmakers’ licenses amounted to £527 10s. I found it necessary to adversely comment on the number of obvious non-tryers oat on the first day, which was a blot on the sport. On the second day there was a

decided improvement, and some excellent trotting was witnessed. The third day was chiefly remarkable for a too palpably reversal of form by some of the horses. Although, speaking generally, the sport was good, there can be no doubt that trotting has made marvellous progress in the northern province during the last two seasons, and the stewards of both the Auckland and Otahuhu Clubs are deserving of great credit for the way they have stamped out many abuses, and improved the trotting by a better system of classing. However, if the clubs are to merit public confidence they will have to use the mailed fist toward® owners who buy and sell races without regard to the duty as sportsmen they o'vc to patrons of trotting. The second day (Wednesday) opened with the Channel Trot, which provided a second win for Master Park, who oh the first day smothered everything in. the Maiden. The race was a very slow one, but still Master Park showed himself to be a- most promising gelding, that should make a good showing next season. The Rangitoto Handicap was a splendid race. There were 12 starters. Papanui, the scratch horse, put in a great mile, and although giving away 2feec, was well to the fore. The. coing, however, was too heavy, and after another half mile lie died away. The finish was a desperate struggle between, Autocrat (13sec) and Belle Gray (12sec). The latter had the advantage of entering the straight, but coming along at a surprising gait Autocrat overhauled Bell Gray and won by a short head. Time, smin lOsec. Eleven started in the Autumn Handicap for which a Wellington trotter, War Cloud, was very heavilj'- backed. At the start, however, he fell, and did not take part in the race. Lady Wilhelm in a (15seo) vigorously ridden all the way, beat Monica (ssec) by a length. The latter horse, however, was distanced for leaving before her time, and Previous (Bsec) was placed second. Annoyed and Madam Melba, fought out the Adams Memorial, the former getting the verdict by a narrow margin. The Calliope Trot was a splendid race, and a most exciting finish resulted in John Harold, who has had a long run of bad luck, beating the favourite, Alf M'Kinney, by half a length. The mile and a-half was covered in 3min 51 2-ssec, the fastest time of the meeting. During the afternoon the stewards met and withdrew R. Millen’s permit to drive in harness. This was the result of his erratic driving on the first day, which I criticised last week.

On Saturday Norminston wont out a hot favourite, and showing greatly-improved form, simply left his field standing in the first lap of one mile, despite the fact that he was slowed up twice so as to shorten his lead of the field, and passed the post pulling up, with 30 yards to spare. His time was 2min- 25sec. Another case of reversal of form was the win of Buiga.na in the Campbell Handicap, two miles, which was won from the 12sec mark in ssec 6 4-ssec in the same class of company, and over a similar distance. Bulgaria, ran about last the first day. Belle Gray started in both events, and ran into second place each time. On the second day Belle Gray conceded Buiga.ua 2seo, when the latter won. pulling up, with lengths to spare. Buigana was handicapped a second ahead of Belle Gray. The first day’s time when Buiga.na failed to show up, was smin lOsec, or 3seo longhr than on Saturday. In neither of these cases did the stewards ask any questions in order to clear away any doubt that might have existed. Gray won the Beach Handicap comfortably, and paid double figures, the largest dividend of the meeting. The Devonport Pony Race was won with the greatest ease by Jack Delaval (8.13). with Caedman (7.8), Seatonella (7.0), next in order. The time was Imin 12sec for five and a-half furlongs. This smart pony won the double at the Otahuhu trotting meeting in February with ridiculous ease, and' this', his third appearance under silk, was almost as easily accounted for, despite a bad start. Ho has consequently never been asked yet to show his true form, but undoubtedly he is one of the fastest ponies seen in Auckland. Stranger (12see) won the Members’ Handicap, beating Scotia (scratch) by several lengths. The Lake Handicap was one of the most exciting trotting races seen in the northern province. There was only six seconds dividing the field at the start, and after a round had been completed the eight contestants were all bunched. Coming into the straight Alf M’Kinnev (lOsec), Sweet Patch (lOsec), and Belle Gray (6soc) were together, and amid great excitement they flashed almost abreast past the stand. Passing the judge’s box, Sweet Patch was a short head in advance of Alf M’Kirwrey, while Belle Gray was barely a neck behind the second horse. The time was 2min. 30sec dead, which, considering the somewhat lumpy track, was distinctly good. The Farewell Handicap was won by Rosie Wilks (lOsec), who passed the nost a couple of lengths ahead of Lord Victor (14sec), the favourite.