SPORTING NOTES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4008, 4 February 1938, Page 8

SPORTING NOTES

THE MATAMATA MEETING

GOOD FIELDS ENGAGED. With favourable weather conditions the Matamata Racing Club should experience a very successful annual race meeting to-morrow, for good fields are engaged. There was a time when the Matamata Club confined its programme to horses with only hack qualifications, but nowadays the meering compares quite favourably with other progressive totalisator clubs. The course is a good one for racing, and though there is no grandstand building the natural contour of the country affords spectators a very good view of the whole racing* arena.

The chief event, the Matamata Cup, has a dozen fair class horses en- i gaged, and the Walton Handicap also a dozen. The smallest field will be in the open sprint, the Waharoa Handicap, for the acceptors only number eight, with a possibility of one or two scratchings. Proceedings open with the Hinuera Handicap, six furlongs, in which Free Advice is top weight with 9.0. Three that make rather more appeal are Very Glad, Town Section and Abbey Lass, and of the trio Town Section will probably be best backed. Among those on the minimum Senacre may be the medium of most support. The Tirau Hurdles is not strong in quality, and Boughal has a solid weight in 11.2. Maybe Siwell and the Thames double winner, Mungacre, will be preferred. Gascyne looks a place prospect, and Gadger, if produced in bright condition, will also be supported. Bachelor King, if produced in the Waharoa Handicap, will almost certainly be made favourite, and Torch is another sure of good support, after his running in the Wynyard Plate at Ellerslie. Trilliarch and Marie’s Acre have run some excellent races in better class, and though they are up in the weights they should be hard to beat. Mangukaha is fairly good when the sting is out of the ground. The Railway Hack Handicap is another six furlongs event, with a very smart sprinter, Huntette, at the head of the list. She should find most opposition from the next four, Du Maurier, Forest Acre, Clooneen and Bronzette, with a preference for Forest Acre, who will probably dispute favouritism with the top weight. Jonathan has top weight in the Mjatamata Cup, ten furlongs, with 9.4, but this is not likely to trouble a horse of his type. Day Wind, rehandicaped for the win at the Takapuna meeting, is now up close to good horses. Scotland and Rona Bay, both trained on the Matamata track, will probably be keenly supported, and a light weight with decided possibili-

ties is Grand City, a winner on the southern circuit during the holidays over nine furlongs. The Putaruru Stakes, a weight-for-age event of five furlongs, has a lot of unknowns engaged, and this will cramp investments; but Galloping Acre, Mon Acre Town Section of the older horses, and Miss Brierley of the juveniles will probably be best supported. The nine-furlong hack event, the Okoroire Handican. has a range of 28 lbs between top and bottom weights, and a quartette that should be well supported are Black Musk, Gay Sister, Dutch Girl and Malagigi. The preference may be for Dutch Girl over Black Musk. Racette makes most appeal of those lower in the handicap. Johathan may be produced again in the Walton Handicap, 7} furlongs, but a likely favourite is Rulette, with (. Prince Rangi (if started) also solidly supported. The running in the Cup and open sprint should be a guide for investors in this race.