SPORTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10278, 7 October 1911, Page 5

SPORTING.

Tne South African Government proposes to run racing for its own benefit. It is not likely that Gillamtitong will bo persevered with for spring engagements. Oiyoi, it 13 said, has completely broken down, and may probably not race again. Advocate, the New Zealand Cup candidate, who made such a poor showing: in the Avondale Oup, ie reported to be suffering from ft greßsy. heel. A Napier writer is responsible for the •tatement that the three-year-old Ireland, by Kiloheran—-Savanna, is the most brilliant horso in work at Hastings. There was a pronounced shortage of lightweight jockeys at Geraldine otj the second day of the races, and over-weights, ranging from 41b to 16lb, were the order of the day. At fb.9 Goraldine races J. Pine rode the winner of tho mile trot on the second day, and then came out in the next Taco and rode Stepmeter to victory in the Shorts Handicap. At the Port Adelaide meeting- on September 13. Kanui, by Machine Gun—Persistent, won tho Juvenile Handicap by half a neck from Harnoch, with Tabanga a neck away third. Private information received in Auckland from Sydney states tht.t Hoyal Soult is showing slight symptoms of lameness, but nomention is made of Jt in tho Australian papers. After being successful at the Caulfleld Jiseting, Silver Bullet changed hands, and Ivai gone into D. J. Price's stables. The price paid for tho Calibre gelding was not tnnda rmblic. At tli6 MciOnee Valley races on September 18 the Jsew Zealandet Obsono started! an pqual favourite with Rheims in the YerringWg Handicap. Rheirns won easily, Obsono nnishittg pecond. At the Poona races a few weeks aero Kimberley. winner of tho Beginners' Plate, in a field of seventeen, returned a totalisator dividend at tho rate of about 12G to 1, which is a record for India. Tho programmes -at tha GoraMine meeting were mainly notice-able for the prevalence of misprints. On the second day they were bo abominably bound that most of them were in pieces before the first race. Although I/and Rose has been nominated for the Stewards' Handicap, she is not going well in her preparation. The daughter of Rose Shield is a delicate mare, and may not see tho post" in the big sprint race. J. E. Brewer has bought in England, for Afr Ernest Clarke, two yearling colts, one by Molton from Sagacity, by St Sort from La Sagesse, by Wisdom; and the other by Bachelor's Button from Dam© Agneta (dam of Sahcy). They are to be shipped at once. At the Doncaster (England) meeting, Mr J. B. Jool was somewhat compensated for the compulsory scratching of Sunstar from the St Loger by seeing the Champagne Stakes won by Snnstar's full-brother. White Star, whioh started a warm favourite. Melody was second and Jingling Goordio third.

J. Collier, the rider of Mere in the Snring; Handicap at the Geraldine Racing 1 . Club's meetiri!?, was injured by a fall from his horse m?t after the start of the *ace. He

was taken to the train, and at Timaru was

attended to by the St John Ambulance Brigade, -and. again at Christchurch. Hia injuries were not very serious. Each o! the twelve meetings held last year by tho V.A.T.C. returned! a profit, the imallesfc being £56 13s for tho March fixture, and tho largest £8064 fts 6d for tho Caulfiela Cup meeting. However, the result is not ' surprising, considering tho amount tha V.A.T.C. receives in entrance fees. The total profit from the dozen meetings amounted to •omething over £IO,OOO. The filly Miss Alison, by Soult—Miss Nelgon, one of the batch sent to Western Australia by Messrs Dalgety and Co., won a tSoublo at the recent Kalgoorlio meeting, the Federal Welter Purse (one inile) and the Gnumballs Purse (six furlongs) falling io her share. Miss Alison started af a good J rice in both the raoeß Bite won, so probably or owner thiew in for a good win over her success. Sweeper 11., winner of the Richmond Stakes at Goodlwood (England) last month, is out of a Sir Hugo maro, who was bought (or GOgs; 'and. sent to America. On arrival in the latter country there seemod to be a doubt when she entered the salo ring whether she was in foal or not, and as a consequence she only brought 120ga. This was at r emails able bargain, as in due coufse she produced 1 Frank Grill, ono of the smartest torses in America. He won upwards of «Jlfl,ooo in stakeH. The mare was subsequently sent back to England, where she produced Sweeper 11. 1 ~ ' _ Nothing has been heard lately of the little Birkenhead horse Mischief, says the " Australasian." Not long since ho was given back to his owner, Mrs A. C. Cox. and it was expected that.ho would: be put into training by E. Trew. So far, however, le has not been seen out, and it now seems doubtful if lie will do any more lacing. Another oolt of Mrs Gox'a, of the same age, Apricot, by • Birkenhead—Aphrodite, went •miss at the end of his three-year-old. career, after promising much. He has been leased by tho owner, of a North Queensland station, Ma is to go to the stud immediately. The stallion Huasoar, who has been doing stud duty in South Canterbury, got entangled in a wire fence last week, and his < Injuries were so severe that. he had to be destroyed. Huasoar, who was by Hotchkiss —St Elyn, was bred In 1903 by the Wellington Park Stud Company, from which he Was purohasrtd by tho late Mr G. G. Stead,. jn whose colours ha raoed. He was subsequently sold to a South Canterbury owner for stud 'purposes. On the turf Huasoar's performances were tho whiiuing of the Juvotaile Plate at the Canterbury Jockey Club's Metropolitan meeting in 1906 and running faoond to IvonoH ia the Welcome Stakes the previous year. In referring to an article on betting in tho "Strand Magazine," Mr Corlott writes:— "Tho soundest principle in backing horses •was that set forth by Koi d'Atout ('Rooty Tooty') in these columns last week. A man •hould be a good judge of form, and then calculate on that form what sort of an odds chance each animal possesses. If he finds that against one that he fancies, and had estimated to have a two or three on ohance the bookmakers ara offering much larger odds, then he should bet, and freely. If, on tho other hand, the bookmakers are onlyoffering 2 to 1, when he considers the odds ought to be much larger, then he should abstain. This was tho principle on which the groat Lotd George Bentinck acted. In order to oarry all this out, however, a man must be present at the meeting, and he must be a good judge not only of racing, but of ■ . Abetting." , NOTES~6iTNEWS. Tho. Geraldine Racing Club was favoured' by fine weather lor the first day of its raring meeting last weak, but at night a, strong sou'-wester sprang tip and heavy rain and snow fell, but fortunately the weather cleared before morning* and although it remained bleak and cold, the second day's jacing was held under favourable conditions. The racing was not particularly interesting, as the fields generally were no large, and the horses engaged did not represent a very high class. Speculation was good, and the totalisator handled £Bll7 as compared with £4030 for the corresponding meeting of last year. The hurdle races only drew small fields, the first ono falling to Freak, who beat a field of four others comfortably, but the way was made easy for him by Beokwell falling. Tho winner is a six-year-old gelding by Finland— Escapade, and is thus a full brother to Outlander. He is a good jumpor and may win again in better company. On the second day Beokwell stood up all right and won very comfortably from Sapience, Freak and Lugeon. Beckwell, who is by Wellbeck out of that good mare Beauty Sleep, won both hurdle races at Geraldine last year, and he is a cut above the company ho was racing in. The Squatters' Handicap brought out a, field of seven, Stepmeter being made favourite, while Pilgrim's Way and All Gun 3 were also well backed. Stepmeter appeared to get a bad passage, and could only finish third to Pilgrim's Way and All Guns. Pilgrim's Way began quickly and won very easily. i tie is by Pilgrim's Progress out of Nautiloid, and was bred by Mr 13. Gates. He holds the New Zealand record of lmin 13seo for six furlongs, and can _ gallop fast. Last year no was fancied for the Stewards' Handicap, but* unfortunately, went wrong with knee troubles. He has been nominated for the same race this year, and it is hoped that he will stand a preparation. He is undoubtedly brilliant over short courses. A two-year-old half-sister by Charlemagne 11., bred by Mr H. F. Nicol, is also said to be a good one. The consistent All Guns, who is in good heart at present, ran t good race, but Kohinoor was not prominent. The big race of the day, the Geraldine Cupi brought out a _ field of six, and the Oaks winner Martino„ with

was sot to give away a lot of weight to five moderates. She was mado a hot favourite, and galloping very resolutely had tho race won at any part of the journey. Tho maro is very well just now, and her style of galloping has enhanced her Now Zealand Gup chance in tho eyes of many. Gold Coin was second, and Mumura, who was interfered with, finished close up, third. Probable, who was most fancied /after Martin©, ran badly and was last all tho way, and Amalgam, who is a fullbrother of Gold Coin, showed no for/rn. Flambeau, who is credited with, being a specially gc-od mare, also ran disappointingly. The two hack races brought out fair fields, and both races fell to John Banyan, who although a slow beginner, is a resomto finisher. He is quite the best of Catherine's progeny, and will win races, should he keep sound, in much company. He was followed home on the first day by Belle Grand and Safety Pin, the filly that scored at the Ashburton Spring Meeting. On the second day John Bunyan ha"d all the best of the start, getting away with a two lengths' break before the romainder of the field were fairly on their feet. That was the end of it, for tho further he went tho better he liked it, and he won, pulling up, from Battalion and Safety Pin. The Bolfield Handicap attracted ten starters, True Knight being most fancied, whilst Night-light and Eaglostone were also well backed. True Knight was quickest to begin, but after running three furlongs he stuck his toea in and refused to try. Ho was well supported by his party, and is evidently a " Sunday " horse. Kohinoor, who was comparatively neglected in the betting, owing to his indifferent showing earlier in the day, came through in the straight and scored by a narrow margin from Glenfield, who .was rust in front of Eaglestone, who had. a bad passage. Kohinoor, who is by Royal Fusilier —Bijou, and thus a fullbrother to Cullinan, has shown that he can gallop fast, but he is another in-and-out performer and his party did not benefit materially by tho handsome dividend he paid. Glenfield, who was second, came very fast over the last furlong, and was only beaten by a head, but Kohinoor had been eased and was stopping, Humphreys apparently not anticipating trouble on the outside. In the Stewards' -Stakes on the second day, only four horses started, and Merry Lass was made a hot favourite backers having apparently overlooked the fact that Eaglestone had a bad passage on the first day. The big Clanranald gelding had the race won all the way, emphatically justifying his Ashburton arjd Grand National form, and he beat the favourite very easily. He is a full-brother to Cannie GJiiel, Windwhistle, Signalman and Sharpshooter, and can gallop well under heavy weights. Properly placed, he should win plenty of races for his connections, and his prico on Friday was quite a false one. The Spring Handicap drew six starters, Mumura and Gold Coin having most admirers. Gilt Ec-ge streaked away with the lead for half a mile, where he was passed by True Knight, who for once was in a galloping humour, and going on full of running he won, pulling up, with the greatest of ease from Glenfield, with Gold Coin in third place. Truo Knight is by Sir Laddo—Purity, and won several fair races for Sir "George Clifford, although he showed a greater partiality for running into places as a three-year-old before he was sold to his present owner. So far he has hot been a very profitable investment, owing to his unreliability. The Shorts Handicap, which closed the proceedings, found nine horses facing the starter, but owing to the dearth or light-weight jockeys the handicapper would not have recognised his work after the horses had weighed out. Friwolliti and Seaside claimed 61b apprentice allowances, Grand Medallion put ur>'l6lb overweight. Casa Nova 131b, Mademoiselle Ixe 7lb and Golightly 41b. Stepmeter and All Guns were the popular selections, and they finished first and second, but Stepmeter won with the greatest of ease. He hopped away qiiickly, and led all the way, and is evidently something more than useful. Grand Medallion, without his 161b overweight, would have beaten All Guns for second place, as the Pallas horse was only a head in front of him at the finish.

The starting at the -meeting was not impressive, and can only be described as fair at best. Granted that Mr B. Macdonald had several fractious horses, such as Mademoiselle Ixe and Kohi> noor to handle, the delays at the post were quite inexcusable. He would have been_ quite justified on the first "day in sending aivay the field for the Squatters' Handicap on several occasions when he had them in good line, with the exception of Mademoiselle Ixe, for after having been given several chances no owner has a right to expect other horses to be kept fidgetting at tho post, whilst his own is urged up with a stockwhip. As it was, the whole day's card was delayed as a result of the incident. A similar thing occurred on the second day, and tho last race was thirty-five minutes behind the advertised time when the horses were despatched. The race in which the Redcar stewards took exception to D. Maher'a riding in August" was a three-year-old Maiden Plate. .There were onlv three runners, and Maher'a mount,' Sallust, after running wide at each turn, failed to reach the winner, Dr Willner, by a neck. On the Redcar stewards reoortmg the case to the Joclcey Club'stewardsj the latter, having obtained evidence which was not available at Redcar, as to the unreliability and bad temper of Sallust, accepted Mailer's explanation of his riding, and exonerated him from all blame. Some of the English papers delivered themselves to the effect that tho Redcar stewards came to a hasty conclusion, but with Sallust going wide at each turn the mistake as to Mah&r's intentions was certainly excusable.

Tlio management and the fixtures at tho Geraldino-moating do not compare at all favourably with those of many ocher country clubs of less pretensions. The appointments are distinctly primitive and there is no convenience whatever for the stewards and the Press to obtain an uninterrupted view of the racing, and overweights and allowances were chalked up (sometimes) on a small board little bigger than a slate. The scratching-board was not always strictly accurate, and the Pressmen had to fossick for their own totalisator and other information which other clubs are in the habit of supplying. Nor was the management of tho totalisator satisfactory. Upon one occasion moneywas being 'rung on while the horses were turning for the straight at the finish of a race, and it was quite a common practice to find investments made after tho five minutes' warning bell had rung. Incidentally it seems a rather curioua thing that such Canterbury clubs as Goraldine, Timaru and Waimate should find it necessary to go to Otago and the West Coast for their totalisator contracts, when they could secure a hotter service locally. Nobody, _ of course, has any pre-emptive right in the matter, but it is noticeable that Mr W. H. MacDougall, who controls most of the Canterbury meetings so admirably, does jxot attempt to trespass in the southern districts. Commenting on Lady Medallist's win in tho Rydaknero Handicap at Rosehill, the "Australasian" says:— " Rarely have we seen a more pronounced win than Lady Medallist achieved in the Rydalmero mile. She had lOst, and, going to tho front three furlongs from home, literally cantered past tho post in lmin 41i}sec. There were nineteen starters, and Lady Medallist did not get well away, but when called upon sho simply ran over the lot. This win confirmee! her private form, and at onco brought her into promi-

nence for the Epsom. She is likely to remain in favour until beaten. The winning of the Hurdle Race by Pakau, another of Noud's team, ivas somewhat of a surprise. The mare, who is wellknown to Victorians, won as she liked in Smin 48sec, which equals the- best performance previously done on this course. The stable got the bulk of the money, and this was also the case over Woolerina's victory in the Rosehill Guineas. There was only one withdrawal—Gidgiel—from the original dozen acceptors, _ Scully relying upon Cisco. A bold bid he made, but he never could catch Woolerina, who got to tho front in a furlong and remained there to the end. Popinjay was only a head behind Cisco, and. as the New Zealand filly Peireno had her head level with Popinjay's throat-latch, it will be seen that the finish ivas interesting. The filly was made favourite _ on the strength of her excellent showing in the Tramway Handicap, won by Grist. She did her best, but was not good enough. So apparently was St Medoc, who at no part of the race made a show. This was a surprise to his trainer. 'Perhaps he is backward, but ne did not appear so to the eye. Posadas seemed to be doing better in the last furlong than at any other part, while Ocean Blue exhibitpd pace, but no staying ability, and Malthus made no display at all.' The same writer, referring to the Rosehill Handicap, says s—" Mr Merton scored a second win with Didus in the Rosehill Handicap, and W. Smith again showed to advantage in the saddle. There was a lot of money for Sandbath and the New Zealand colt Vice-Admiral, the pair disputing the position of favourite at 7to 2 each. It was a splendid finish, and Wdus got home by a neck from Vice-Admiral, who beat Sandbath by a head. ViceAdmiral, just inside the distance, was in front, bo that he was outstayed, which does not speak well for his Metropolitan chance, and it would appear as if Mason is out of luck. The two two-year-olds that he brought over from New Zealand have contracted influenza, and will not be raced at the meeting."