TROTTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 292, 10 December 1925, Page 14

TROTTING.

WHEEL AND SADDLE/ NOTES, ' | (BY OBION.) FIXTURES FOR. THE SEASP& December 12, 16—New Brighton. Trotting Club. December 26^—Gore Trotting Club. Pecember 26—Asbburton Trotting; Clnb. 1/eqember 26, 28—Westport Erottlnfc Club. December 26, 28 —South WairarapS' Trotting Club. -December 28, 30, 31—Auckland Trotting Club. - December 30—Inangahua Trotting Club. December 30—Wlnton Trotting Club. January 1, 2—Canterbury Park Trotting Club. - ■ • ■ January-2—Westland Trotting Club.January 5, 6—Greymouth Trotting Club. January 16—Wellington Trotting Club.. January 22, 23—Invercargrill Trotting C|ub, , January 28, 30—Forbury Park Trotting I Club. ' ' January 3 o—Hawke's Bay Trotting Club. I February 12 —Poverty Bay Trotting Club. I February 13— N.Z. Metropolitan Trotting I Club. February 19—Kaikoura Trotting Club. February 19, 22—Wanganui Trotting Club. February 20, 24 —Otahuhu Trotting Club, February 26—Marlborougli Trotting Club, February 27—Turanaki Trotting Club. ' March 6—Waikato Trotting Club. March 10—Manawatu Trotting Club. March 13—Northland Trotting Club. March 13—Timaru Trotting Club. March 17—Wyndham Trotting Club. March 18, 20—New Brighton Trotting Club. March 20—Thames .Trotting Club. March 27—Wellington Trotting Club. April 3, 7—N.Z. Metropolitan Trotting: Club.., . " . April 3, s—Hewera Trotting Club. April 17—Ellesmefe Trotting Club. April 17—Gambridge Trotting Club. April 22—Walmate Trotting Club. April 2-s—Ashburton Trotting Club May 6, B—Forbury Park Trotting Club. May 22—Oamaru Trotting Club. June 3, s—Canterbury Park Trotting Club. June 12—Ashburton Trotting Club. June 19, 23—Auckland Trotting Club. Koniniwood is a pacer worth watching when the opposition is riot of the best. The New Brighton Trotting Club will open its summer meeting on Saturday, and conclude a two-days-fixture on Wednesday next. Owners wjth horses engaged at the Auckland Trotting Club's meeting are reminded that acceptances for all events ■ on the opening day close with the secre- j iary, Mr. C. F. Mark, to-morrow, at 5 p.m. i The negotiations for the sale of the I trotter Direct Action have been completed, and the Australian-bred trotter has been j>urchased by Messrs. G. YE. Morgan and F. J. Doeherty. • He was tried out by A. Julian on Tuesday, arid will go into that trainer's stable. • ; Although Golden Park did not win a race.\at JSanjilton; 'the chestnut mare paced two very fair races without gelting any money. She is not good enough for" Town Hall company-, but will pick up a stake at the country meetings. She is not too reliable on the mark, but has improved considerably to what ahe was. At a recent meeting of Adelaide T.C., a Boori King gelding in Moorilla King created new figures for half a mile in §outh Australia: Ail exchange Bays (that Moorilla ing put up a wonderful effort in his half-mile time run. He trotted half a mile in 1.4 2-5. At tKe ail old Btager in Harbour Liglrts, who is 23 years old, won the Southern Handicap. Maintaining 'an even pacGrlhe lasted long enough to win by a yard- in 5.40. Trotting in Adelaide appears doing well. The Hi-tlle" pacer Admiral Hood, now trained by F. V. Ciitts, was never looking better than at present. The son of Logan Pointer is one of the kind which always does lViis work right, and he was beaten into second place at the Waikato only because Uncle Bert was a nStich better-horse on the day. A win for Admiral Hood would be very popular, as his owner, Mr. D. Smith, has riot had. the best of .luck with hie horses. Hβ thought the little gelding unbeatable at Hamilton, and as the ' Second dividend was a good one, he would be a fair winner on the race. On the question of trotters and unhoppled pacers breaking during a race, an exchange quotes - v a leading American trainer as saying:' "In recovering a horse from a break, some horses acquire a habit of catching their gait tiy a pull on the right rein, some will only catch with the left, a habit which is formed by the driver to whom they owe their education. A horse should not be snatched from side to side, but steadied until he knows what he is about, and ordinarily by a slight shake of the bit he will recover his trot readily. Never allow a horse to slacken' his rate of speed if it is possible to catch him without doing so. This is where the semi-professionals fail, because when a horse breaks they usually pull him up to a standstill. ,, Orion, the winner of the Jellicoe Handicap at the recent Otahuhu meeting, was at one time the champion pacer of Tasmania. At that time he raced as I Retreat, and was leased by 'Mr. Wj J. Carter after the horse had been brought to Melbourne, where he won a Melbourne Thousand. Mr. Carter took the pacer to Sydney and drove him without success in -the Sydney Thousand of 1024, and later started him in a Flying Hanidicap at Epping. .The stewards were riot I pleased at the horse's performance, and I disqualified him and his connections for j twelve months, but on appeal the disj qualification was removed. Later .the i pacer was brought across to New Zealand, and since being here has won the Otahuhu Cup and the Jellicoe Handicap. It was reported some time back that Orion had been sold to go to Tasmania, but nothing has been heard of the sale since. j Writing of tie failure of the pacer j Escort to make good in New Zealand, a i Sydney writer pens the following: •Escort will" live in memory as the horse ■ on which the- biggest starting price coup on a trotter, or pacer was ever brought off. In fact, it was so big that some of the winnings have not been collected to this day, and the starting price "joints" have "ever since refused to do business on a .trotting race. 'Richmond (X.S.W.) Was the course chosen for the coup, and money was placed everywhere available, : npt ajone in the Sydney shops, but in the country, and other States. His Pal wept OUt an odds-on favourite, and- he canik round the biend with'what looked a. sure lead, but Escort came with a phenomenal runj and catching the leader hopping; landed the good thing. The ■evening papers quoted Eacart'is price as 10 to 1, and bis backers wejfe jubilant, but the winnings were reduced considerably when the morning papers qupted the price just half, 5 to 1. Since the 'Escort coup a trotter could not be 1 backed in Sydney at starting price' for a jacfeel pf-peanut*. -' * £££ v

NIGHT TROTTING. Electric light trotting continues to enjoy remarkable popularity in West Auptraliaj patrons increasing week by w.'eejt. The conduel of the sport is in safe, hande, and the enterprise of the W.A.TJL. is meeting with just rewar4- The. principal event on the programme, on Saturday night, November 28, was the. Championship Qualification" Handicap, nine furlongs, in which five of the best horses of the State endeavoured to 2.16 to the mile so as to qualify "for tSe Australasian championship, in March. The starters were: Quartz, Otterburn, and ,Ceiitreway, scratch; Willowdean, 15yds behind; and Alf. Donald, 20yds behind. Quartz by a yard from Otterburn and Willowdean. The winner stepeped at a 2.17 rate, as did also Otterburn, who Would" have woii had he not los.t ground at the start. Willoowdean's rate was 2.15J, so he thereby qualified. The enter- , prise of the trotting body is indicated by J the big programmes listed from DecemI ber to March. The Christmas Carnival, December 26 to January 1, carries £4200 lin stakes, and on March 6, 13, and 20 the championship series will be run, for which the prize money totals £2600. I Further, the Easter Carnival in April carries £3000 in stakes. These inducements should interest owners in other States.