TAKANINI TRACKS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 173, 24 July 1928, Page 11

TAKANINI TRACKS.

SPLENDID GALLOPING GROUNDS

AND FACILITIES FOR TRAINING

With a view to relieving Ellerslie, and also providing good grass tracks for the training of two-year-olds for early racing, a syndicate of Auckland sportsmen decided to lay down a training ground at Takanini. The project, received meagre support in some quarters, the opinion being expressed that the nature of the soil would preclude the formation of tracks anywhere approaching those to be found at Ellerslie. The new training tracks at Takanini have been in use about fifteen months, and after a visit paid there on Saturday morning one ventures the opinion that those who were so pessimistic about the scheme when it was first mooted, would have to change their views if they spent one hour, or even less, oh the ground.

The property consists of 87 acres, twenty of which form a paddock on the northern side, on which are constructed the scraping sheds and sand roll. This portion is available as an exercise ground, and it might be mentioned that trotting trainers have asked the syndicate to make a track for them there, but it has been decided to confine the ground to the training of gallopers. The remainder of the land is devoted to tracks. The course is 100 ft in width, and 25ft. on the inside forms the plough. The soil is very black, being of a peaty nature. On the surface it has turned to fine powder, several inches in depth, which makes nice soft going. Underneath it is very firm, and it is stated tha£ even in the worst weather it does not hold the water. The other 75ft is grassed with Red Top, Brown Top, Chewing's Fescue and Indian Doohb, and for this time of the year it has a very fine sole on it, and one that will not lift easily. There are three grass tracks on this portion, each 25ft in width, and the outside one of all, the one nearest the outer- rail, has had the most work of the lot. There are approximately thirty-eight horses in training at Takanini, and seeing that this part has stood the greater portion of the galloping this season it is in really excellent order. It is hardly cut about at all, despite the bad weather wo have experienced during the winter, and the grass is still growing strongly on it. It is intended to develop Indian Doohb, in preference to the other grasses mentioned, for it is an ideal grass for training tracks. It is greatly favoured in Australia, and among other courses Randwick is grassed with it. It will stand any amount of galloping without being uprooted and quickly recovers. Many of the other grasses are more easily torn out, and in consequence bare patches are left. 1

On each side of the track, which is a complete oval, is a two-furlong straight, so 'that the horses can be worked either right or left-handed, according to their forthcoming engagements. The various furlong posts are clearly marked for all tracks, and there is no difficulty in timing horses accurately. In the centre of the course, running parallel with the inside rail, is a jogging track and a hurdle course. This can be easily transformed into a steeplechase course by substituting brush fences for hurdles. The property is excellently drained. A drain runs completely round the course near the inner rail, and' the surface water is carried to a point at the north-western end of the property. It then runs through pipes underneath the track and is carried away to the sea. There is also an unfailing supply of pure water for horses.

The property has a frontage of threequarters of a mile to a main road, and there is a railway station at each end —Takanini on the northern side, and Tjronui on the southern side. It is also within easy reach of Papakura. Close handy is an inlet of the Manukau, which provides a splendid beach, and horses can be given swimming exercise if required.

There are few tracks, if any, that offer better advantages than the new one at Takanini, and when it becomes more widely known there is no doubt that there will be a good many more trainers there for there is every facility for bringing a horse to his best.