SPORTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 289, 9 May 1914, Page 17

SPORTING.

RACING FIXTURES. May 13, 14—Egmont R.C. Winter. May 21, 23—Wanganui J.C. Winter. June 3, 4—Otaki R.C. "Winter. June 3, 4—Dunedin J.C. Winter. June 3, li, B—Auckland R.C. Winter. COMING EVENTS. May 21—Wanganui Steeplechase. May 21—Century Hurdle Race. Juno 3—Great Northern Hurdle Race. June 6—Great Northern Steeplechase,

■Notes by "Moturoa." EGMONT WINTER MEETING. On Wednesday and Thursday next the Egmont Racing Club's winter meetiag will engage the attention of Taranaki sports and judging by the list of acceptances .published yesterday, good fields will line up for most eVents, and winners will not be any too easy to sort out. Of about 120 entries received for the first day's events 85 horses still T/emain iu—a very satisfactory total as far as the handicapper is concerned—and the club has reason to be pleased at an average of a dozen per heat. It is a matter for regret I that Byron, Ratana, Otahu, Crown Pearl, Makora and Adroit have dropped out of the open handicaps, and the absence of Ngarua, Fisher, Towder Fox and one or two others from the hack events lessen the interest somewhat. Manawhakaha and Royal Patron have taken on flat events in preference to the hurdle race. St. Gate probably frightening some of them out. Classis, of course, has dropped out owing to disqualification. On the whole the racing should ba good at Hawera next week.

HANDICAPPING DE LUX. Two dead-heats in one day is something of a record in New Zealand, and calls attention to tile general run of "punishing" finishes which have been the outstanding features of the autumn meetings. On Thursday Tannhauser and Glenfinnan raced home in line in the Ashburton Cup, and the same day at Hastings the Judge could not separate Saucl. and Parifornt in the Hawke's Bay Guineas. The latter race was not an ordinary handicap; (event, though governed by weight-for-ago. scale and penalties, but apart from that the general excellence of autumn handicapping is marvellous. Just recently we saw Ohudic and Expect separated by the barest of heads in the Great Easter; Sveaborg, Crown Pearl, The Great Mogul and Lady Louisa almost in line in the Borough Handicap at Awapuni, and halfheads between First Glance. Canute and Gapon in the Timaru Cup. Koonya just beat Expect in the Hawke's Bav Cup by what is commonly known as "a smile," and Expect only won from Mysteriarch by a similar margin on Thursday. At the same' meeting Diavolo and General Madcro just owed their victories to their prominent noses. At Avonclal.' also th-j handicapping was great! Worcester'Js»,said to have won the Autumn Handicap by half-a-head from the di ad-he^'ng l (■second!) pair. Self and Goldsize. That's cutting it fine, isn't itV Almost as bad as the message sent by the Press Association agent from Gisborue rucentlj—"won by two inches"! H curies us right back to the days of the old-time Maori judge who gave his verdict as follows:—"I tink te Maori horse win by four inches"—and then went round to collect his dividend!

CURRENT TOPICS. VYaiiganui weights are due to-day. Valhalla made good on Wednesday. A lot of money was lost over Darby l'uul on Thursday. Con tlie Shaughraun won a hurdle race at Ashburton. fiowuham was a "'stone mora!" that got "downed" at Hastings. Expect has proved a cheap horse for itighdcn," and should win many more races.

Koonya lias now won four Cups. Siili, it looked like poor sport when owner I>. Kemp handed the Hawke's Hay Cup over to Jockey W. Bel.

When Merry Uoc and Postillion ran unplaced on Wednesday the argument as to which was the better sprinter of the two remained unsettled, but on the following day Merry Koe met and defeated Postillion on even terms —a highly meritorious performance for a three-year-old that has been trained for distance races.

The easy fashion in which the Gisborne horse Player ran off with both open and hurdle races at Hastings this week stamps him as a horse above the average, and more may be heard of liim when the Nationals come up for decision. An extraordinary incident is recorded in connection with the running of Kilts at Timaru. On the first day he ran oil' at the first fence and carried Saiathiol off too, and on the second day he whipped off at the third obstacle, and in doing so struck and brought Salathied down. After the race, 1). Monaglian, the trainer of Kilts, was fined £■> for interfering with the horses as they raced to the hurdles. It appears that men were placed at each hurdle with the idea of keeping Kilts from miming oil'! Kilts is evidently a danger to himself and to other horses, and it is time that he was ''barred," from hurdle races at all events. It is a dangerous practice to hang over the rai.s to view the finish of a race, as two spectators found out at Timaru last week. Parable finished right against the inside rails, and his rider's leg came into violent contact with the pair of spectators, cracking their heads together with such force that both took "the count.'' and one had to be rcmovei, to the hospital. Sir (ieorge Clifford received a hard knock last, week when the .Manawatu Jockey Club considered the interference with i'aril'orm and other horses by Boldstvok'.' in the Manawatu Stakes, and passed a resolution that "those responsible should exercise care in putting up indifferent hors-nieii who are incapable of continuing their charges." lioldstroke certainlv got out of hand, but the galling part of it was that Autuimnis (Doldsfroke's stablcmalc) suffered most interference', and but for that might have reversed position- with the winner. Emperador. The jumping at the Timaru meeting is described as wretched, most of the horses almost coming to a standstill at every fence. We have a crowd of useful hurdlers in this province and a southern trip round Hie small meetings migiii prove a gold mine to an enterprising owner.

Con tin' Shaoglirami is improving in liis fi'iioiiiL' .and' will ?<> over to Melbourne in charge of L. Hegarty very shovlly. „ n ....... Although Ashburton is a dry district tlie locarracecourse liappons to be just outside the tabooed area. It is a vditable oasis in a desert of beerless waste, and the local paper naively remarks "The \slibm-tnn meeting is very popular with loe-il sports, etc." L should think so!