SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 316, 4 July 1912, Page 3

SPORTING.

I TURF TOPICS. | (By "Moturoa.") The Gisborne Racing Club's winter meeting opens to-day and will be concluded to-morrow. Though only a gathering of minor importance several of the horses engaged have pretensions to National honors, and their running will be noted by those punters who have set themselves out to solve the problems at Trentham and at Riccarton next I month. A good contingent of 'Auckland horses was shipped to Gisborne last week. They include La Reina, Taiaha, Admiral [ Soult, Sea Pink, Tin Cakobaii and Merj.rimax, and the team should gather in a. few stakes before returning home. Ben Deeley, by means of a double win at Napier Park, hae raised his- total of j'succes.sful rides, to n 87, and with ordinary luck at Gisborne may raise new figures for a season's record. Paisano is given a chance to distinguish himself in the Hurdles to-day, as the opposition reads like, .poor hack company. - - \ • ■ • . .

If the much talked-of two-year-old gelding Multiply, by Multifid—Augusta, is saddled up for the'Maiden'Handicap he will carry a lot of money, Mr. C. J. Parker lias refused a nice sum for the youngster, and it lis expected to turn out a smart tWee-year-old. At the weights—9st all—Multiply'does not read too well in comparison to seasoned horses like Kirkby and Merrimax. La Rein a is said to be in good nick, and if able to reproduce Ellerslie form should pay her way at Gipborne. Race riding pays we'll in Australia. For winning on Obsono and Swagger at Adelaide recently the ex-New Zealand jockey H. Cairns drew £Bl 14s in riding "commigh" alone.

1.. .At 'Melbourne the other day Master ' Advance (Advance —Lady Spec) was i sold for 135 guineas,' and will go to ! India. At the same sale .the six-year-old | gelding Hesperus (Stepniak—-Fair Nell) [found a new owner at 95 guineas. j Accidents in steeplechases have been singularly common tliis season, and the big batch of horsemen who will have to stand down for the rest of the season was added to when A. Julian, 11. Thompson and W. D. Young got smashed up at the Hawke's Bay meetings. Good horsemen will be hard to secure about National tiiae. "Terlinga," writing of the ex-New Zealand mare Cruciform, states that she is quite the show brood mare at Bundoora Park, and her colt foal Ludstono is <t splendidly proportioned youngster. The Wellington R.C. winter meeting will open on next Wednesday week and the big steeplechase is now the chief topic of interest in-the sporting world. Antarctic is engaged .in the race, but wi'll probably be kept for the Grand National Steeplechase. The horse continues to get through good work at Wangamii. Continuance has ~gone out of favor and will probably be in better condition for the: Canterbury meeting. Hautere and Okaihau . are bowling along in good style and theelect of the Williamson pair may be hard to beat. Paritutu is reported to be doing nicely, and is sure to run a solid race. Several speedy ones figure jn the Winter Hurdle Race, including Koran, The Rover, and Black Northern. The meeting should be a big success. .- The death of the grey horse Canteen-, cabled from Sydney ':■ recently, removes one of the most sensational' New Zealand Cup winners 'from 1 our inidst. Few will forget the tons of money lost over Achilles and Wairiki in that "memorable race. Afterwards Canteen was sold to Sir Rupert Clarke for Several thousand pounds, but lie proved a»rank failure on the turf in Australia, and as big a fraud at the stud.