AUCKLAND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 41

AUCKLAND TOPICS.

By Taihoa.

Tho attraction this week to Auckland sportsmen is the annual meeting of tho I Hamilton Racing Club, which is fixed lor., to-morrow (Saturday). At the time of writing heavy rain is .tailing, and matters look anything but promising for tho outing.This club has made rapid strides dv-ring th» last half decade, and is easily the loadinjjg country fixture. It says much for tho pro-, gressivo spirit displayed by the committee when the smallest prize on this year's pro- . gramme is 200sovs, while, the (Jup carrie«oOOsovs. ■ • ..: „■:'

The Te Kuiti meeting was held last and proved- successful; and when the secjrjM tary comes to balance up he should be iti the' happy position of being able to place, a very satisfactory statement on the table. at the next committee meeting.

The racing was easily the best yet witnessed on the course, and several of the finishes were so closo that only the judge, with any degree of certainty, could decide the placings. This was particularly so ini the Farewell Handicap, when six horsed dashed paet the post with hardly half a length between the lot. Too Cup was won by Tinopai, and R'. Hannon's maro appears to have something; like a mortgage on the race. In the five contests she has won on four occasions, and last year she was not a runner. This ia a record that probably has' no equal in any one particular event, and is a- performance likely to stand for all time. Tinopai has done a considerable amount of racing during her career, but she seems to be almost as good now as ever she was. ■ Opinions differ as to whether Tinopai's victory was an easy one or not. She won by half a length from Sir Ralph, and I fancy she had the race won a long way from homo. However, Handicappcr Mr Maemanemin has sosn fit to raise her impost in the Hamilton Cup from 7.8 to 8.8/ whiclv rise I do not think is warranted; and' she wili probably get well beaten this weekend.

Sir Ralph, Royal Irish, Minister, and Te Papapi all finished close together behind Tinopai, and the surprise of the event was tho good showing- of To Papapa, - who, though regarded as one of those affected in; the wind,"was battling out the finish fairly, well.

New Zealand won tha Maiden Handicap, but as ho only just squeezed home from. Royal Reign and several very poor pepformers, there was not a great deal of merit in tho performance, and I could not advise backers to trust to him again. Still, he is a horse who will go on improving, and later on may turn out useful. The nurdlo race was a very poor event, as the contestants were a long way from ewn moderate performers. Gold Fran did not start owing to soreness, but he seenW' to be all right again and will be a runner at Hamilton. Coleraine and Prosper had the race, to themselves at the finish, after most of the fences had been knocked over. The onlv big dividend during the day waa paid by Last Call in the Farewell Handicap. It may bo mentioned that he contested the Stewards' Handicap earlier in tho day, when he failed to show up at all; and this, no doubt, caused him to be the outsider in the Farewell, which race, by tho way. ho was lucky to win, because he pot a clear run on the rail over the last 50 yards, which enabled- him to get up in the'las;, stride. The veteran Glad Tidings crave further evidence that he is far from boinga pasfi light, when in the Stewards' Handicap he' jinnped away in front and never allowed the} others to get on terms. He also ran well later in tho Farewell, hut in this event ho. had a fair weight, and it told a tale overt the last part of the trip. Glen«poil was. perhaps, unlucky not. to win a race, as he sported silk twice during. tho day and each time had to put up with second place. He is one of the bost-rroatod horses in the Hamilton Cm), The southern horseman C. Emerson was, unlucky in brim? thrown while doina- th«> preliminary in the Maiden. In some way the horse swerved and threw Fmersoaf heavilv tho result being that, he sustained a couple of broken ribs. Tho horses Housewife, Lord Kenilworth',Rockßcld, Thrace, and Ritasca have re-

Ilnned home from the Taranaki meeting, whero they failed to land a stake. H. Gray was riding in good form at- To Kuiti, where ho piloted Sylvafico, Garryowen, and fondoon to victory. All three tro trained by J. Williamson, who is getting a fair share of the prize money at the country meetings. At tho Hamilton meeting ho will be represented by Stilts, King Lupin, and Royal Irish, and all three will run well in their engagements. It is more than likely that Fionnuala will go to the Wanganui meeting, where she is engaged the first day in the Flying Handicap. Since her double victory at lakapuna eho is v.oll in tho limelight, but I am afraid she will meet just as good as herself at Wanganui.