TROTTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 30, 6 February 1928, Page 12

TROTTING.

WHEEL AND TRACK NOTES.

(By ORION.)

SEASON'S FIXTURES. February 11— N.Z. Metropolitan T.C. February 18, 22—Otahuhu Trotting Club. February 25 —Kaikoura Trotting Club. March 2—Marlborough Trotting Club. March 2, 3—lnvercarglU Trotting Club. March 3 —Waikato Trotting Club. March 7—Manawatu Trotting Club. March 8. 10—Timaru Trotting Club. March. 14 —Wyndham Trotting Club. March 15, 17—New Brighton T.C. March 24—Thames Trotting Club. March 24—Wellington Trotting Club. March 2U, 31 —Wanganul Trotting Club.

C. Rhodes is now working Great Earl, by Great Audubon. The gelding has not raced for some time.

Acceptances for the Metropolitan Club's meeting which takes place on Saturday do not close till Thursday.

There were several would-be buyers after Desert Star at Forbury. He is the makings of a good one—the sort everyone likes to own.

The pacer Genuine recently met with a slight mishap and is being treated to a spell. Genuine won a double at the Metropolitan meeting at Addington in August.

That good pacer Loganwood is reported to have met with an injury recently. It is not considered serious, but the son of Logan Pointer is to be given a short spell.

Welcomc Whispers, who brought off a surprise iu the Parnassus Handicap at Cheviot on Saturday, is an aged mare by Woodland Whispers. This was her first time in the money this season.

W. Tomkinson will have a solid team to represent him at the Otahuhu meeting. With Concliff, Logan Park, Young Blake, and Dalmeuy in the team, he should get some of the prize money.

Shadowland is doing plenty of work, and tjiis honest and reliable pacer may win a race before the end of th© season. He seems best suited to a twomile . journey.

F. G. Holmes was very much in the limelight at the Cheviot Trotting Club's meeting on Saturday. He won raccs with Royal Authoress and Laplander, was second with the same horses in two other races, and also drove Quickfire into third place.

The Nelson Bingen gelding Neerson, who won the Nelson Trotting Cup, is a half-brother to Glenelg, and a brother to Bingenette and Ingle Bingen. They are the produce of the imported mare Neeratte, who was brought out in 1912 by Mr. J. Conway.

L. Cavalier, who rode Kate Thorpe to victory to pay a sensational dividend at Forburv, has decided to take up training as a profession, and has already taken over stables at Addington. Cavalier is at present working a useful sort of gelding by Logan Pointer—Marvinette.

Handicapped on 96 yards behind, the Auckland-owned Jewel Pointer is not greatly fancied for the Midsummer Handicap on Saturday. The racing he will have should put him right at the top of his form for the OtiDiuhu Cup, in which race he will also be set to concede big starts.

Royal Authoress, one of F. G. Holmes' team*, lias been racing consistently without getting much money. However, the four-year-old daughter of Author Dillon —'Princc Imperial mare had her turn on Saturday. After Tunning second to Hard Knocks in the Cheviot Cup she came out later in the day and won the McKenzie Handicap. .

Although tha Otahuhu meeting is only a fortnight a way, then is very little doing at Epsom. However, all the local trainers have their horses well forward, and a couple ©f sharp sprints will sea them at their best.

The late Mr. T. Wilkins, who was I fatally injured whilst returning from the Tapanui races, was one time a wellknown amateur rider in light harness circles. He rode and trained several winners, and also took a seat in the saddle against tha professionals. He a keen and alert sportsman, but in more recent years he seemed to become more interested in the thoroughbred than in the trotter. HANDICAPS TO MORROW. The Otahuhu Trotting Club's summer meeting -will be advanced another stage to-morrow when Mr. C. E. Goosman will declare the handicaps for the opening day's events. The smallest field Mr. Goosman lias to bring together will be in the cup in which a rather solid lov. or 13 are engaged. In the other events the liandicapper has no dearth of material to work upon and his opinion of the ability of the candidates will be awaited with interest. brilliant native chief. That Native Chief should work out a mile at Addington on Saturday in 2.2 would ncrt. surprise those who have all along held that the son of Native King is the fastest pacer the Dominion ha> produced. That he could go two minutes from a flying start with the track conditions favourable is a claim often offered by his admirers, ad it maybe when he meets Great Bingen next Saturday in the match over a mile the eight furlongs will see a fresh record entered up. The present record is 2.3 2-5 put up by Acron, but it is safe to predict this wiii be reduced if the track is good. On Saturday Native Chief went 2.2 under exactly the same conditions he will have when he meets Great Bingen, so- that it is only a matter of him going right to record a fresh record. To beat Mr. J. A. Jhiffeyfs pacer Great Bingen is certainly set a tough proposition.