LIGHT HARNESS SPORT

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 162, 11 July 1925, Page 15

LIGHT HARNESS SPORT

FIXTURES. An .ust 22—Auckland Trotting Club, _?«eet Meeting. . The only trotting event to be decided before the season closes is one race on the programme or the South Canterbury Hunt Club's fixture, which is to be-held on Saturday next. Great Hope and his companion Planet are still in Sydney, and will in all probability' remain there for a couple or months. There Is a suggestion that the Jfew South Wales Trotting Club should stage a race which would give Mipton Derby and Great iinnn a chance of meetlna. but, a« Mlnton

Special totalisator permits having been granted the Forbury Park Trotting Club to hold a two days' meeting during the visit of the American Fleet, the club has drafted a programme which will mean the distribution or £4400 in prize money. The track at Epsom during the past week has been in rairly good order, and the majority or trainers who intend to have horses racing at the Fleet meeting have taken advantage or the weather conditions to give their charges some useful work. W. Kelsey left for the south this week, and will race Hypo at the Metropolitan meeting in August, afterwards returning to Auckland with the son or Ghoai for the Fleet meeting. Kelsey recently acquired Dean Dillon and the pacer will join his team later on. D. BENNETT'S DISQUALIFICATION. At the meeting or the Trotting Association a letter was received rrom the Westport Trotting Club stating that at a meeting or the committee a letter had been received from D. Bennett, together with an application for a license. The secretary of the club was instructed lo notify the association that Bennett's conduct had been most satisfactory while in the district, and that the application carried a favourable recommendation from the committee. In his letter Bennett said He had been disqualified for a period or two years from May l, 1934. He submitted that his conduct since his disqualification could not be questioned. He had kept strictly away from taking any interest in horses, and had complied with the rules in regard to keeping away from racecourses. During the past eight months he had been employed by the Public Works Department as a striker in the blacksmith's shop on the Westport-Inan'gahua railway, and ir it were desired he could obtain a testimonial Trom the overseer or works. Mr. Mark said the sentence imposed by the board in connection with the ringing- tn cases was its considered opinion, and he thought it would be unwise to reduce the term.ir they did. 5o they would .probably have other applications ror reductions. Mr. Denton said that Bennett had given the association every assistance in regard to the cases after his first incorrect evidence had been cleared up. He was a very clean-living young rellow, and owners who had previously given him horses to train were waiting to employ him again when his term was up. He thought some consideration might be extended to him. Mr. Mark said that the ewes in which Bennett was concerned were the most serious in the history or trotting, and personally he was not in favour of reducing the term by one hour. Mr. Williams said- he was of tbe same opinion as Mr. Mark. Mr. Short moved, and Mr. Denton seconded: "That Bennett be told to applyagain at the October meeting of the board." This motion was carried by rour votes to two.