LATEST SPORTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11028, 17 March 1914, Page 6

LATEST SPORTING.

ALFORD FOREST RACING CLUB. [From Our Correspondent.] METHVEN, March 17. The annual meeting of the Alford Forest Racing Club was ! held on the Mount Harding Racecourse, Methven, to-day, in fine weather, and in the presence of a large attendance. The following are the details of the racing; LADIES' PURSE HANDICAP, of 8 eovs; second horse 1 sov from the stake. Five furlongs. ' Mr T. Smith's b g Golden King, by Golden Knight—Fairy Benzie, 4yrs, list 41b (Owner) -1 Mr J. Pott's br g Masfer Hamilton, iyrs, 9st slb (J. Beard) 2 Mr J. M'Girr'a b g Blytheboy, aged, 10st 12ib . (Owner). 3 Flurry 3st 121b, Truthful 9st 101b and Lena Zion 9st also started. Golden King got the best of the start and led all the way, winning comfortably by about two lengths. Time—lmin 6 l-ssec. BURNSIDE TROT HANDICAP, of 9 sovs; second horse 1 sov from the stake. One , mile. . ■ ... Mr P. M'Neil's blk m. Princess Minto, by Princo Imperial, aged, scr (H. T. Smith) 1 Mr J. H. M'Kendry's b m Imperial Ann, 4yrs, 17sec (Owner) 2 Mr J. Moore's b m Wallacena, 6yrs, Usee (Owner) 3 No Shenanaghan Usee, Macwood 13sec, Robert Lyons 13sec, First Advance 13sec, Advance Guard 13sec, Elsinore 17sec, Mignon 17sec and Miss Dowling 17sec also started. Princess Minto took the lead at the entrance to the straight ancf won. 'by two lengths. • Tirne—2min 38sec. ALFORD. FOREST CUP, of 15 sovs and a, cup presented by Mis A. F. Hook; second horse 2 sovs from the stake. One mile anjl a- quarter. Mr E. A. FitzgibbonV b h Sapience, by . Acumen—Witcherjy aged, lOst 2lb (S. Carleton) I Mr H. T. Smith's ch g Evenwave, aged, lOst 91b ' ' (Owner) 2 Mr'"\V. G. Stephenson's ch g Parchment, 4yrs, 9st (L. Hagerty) 3 Won by a length and a half. .Time—2min SSbcc.

NOTES. ; The scratching of Thrax and the probable absence of Coroniform will weaken the strength of the field for the Waimate Cup. It will, however, still be one of the best that has evert contested the event.

John Bunyan, who figures in two races at the Waimate meeting, did stud duty .in South Canterbury this season, and will be making his first public appearance on a racecourse after an absence of more than nine months. A year ago, following on a stud season, he won the Harvest Handicap at Waimate, but though he was kept in training for some tiine_, he never again showed up prominently at the business end of a race.

Since she won the Hornby Welter Handicap at the summer meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club, Respond has been held in much higher esteem than was formerly the case. In the Peninsula Cup this month she found the journey too far, but she showed a good turn of speed, and as she has been responsible for some useful track work in the interval, she is likely to have some admirers in her engagements at Waimate.

Lady Marcia has been showing good form 011 the tracks at Riccarton lately. She has had the reputation for a long time of being a smart galloper, but her public efforts- hare not always been marked with consistency, while she has never quite come up to expectations. She is . building up nicely now/ and hopes are entertained that she will accomplish something good before the close of this season. Reports from. Tiniaru state that Reval is shaping well on the Washdyke track, and lie is expected to show up prominently in the Waimate Cup this week. Reval, who is a three-year-old gelding by Finland, has been a consistent performer in hack company this season, winding up with a win under 9.3 in the Gladbrook Handicap, at the autumn meeting of the Dunedin Jockey Club last month. So far, however, all his racing lias been done over short courses, and though he has demonsrated that he possesses a lot of pace, liis ability to get to the end of a mile and a quarter is still a matter of doubt.

Flower of the "West is moving along in good style on the Riccarton tracks, and she numbers a big circle of admirers for the Waimate Cup. Her performance in the Peninsula Cup was sufficient to show that the. length of the journey is not likely to trouble her.

Cosy Corner has evidently been benefited iiy her race at the Akuroa County Pacing Club's meeting. On that occasion she stopped at the finish, after showing a lot of pace, but she has been galloping well since then, and sho may run lwttcr on her next appearance in public.