TROTTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 12, 15 January 1929, Page 12

TROTTING.

WHEEL AND TRACK NOTES.

(By ORION.)

SEASON'S FIXTURES.

January 19—Wellington T.C January 24. 26—Forbury Park T.C. February 1, 2—Nelson T.C. February 9-NZ. Metropolitan T.C. February 16—Wellington T.C. February 27, 28—Invercargill T C. March I—Marlboroughl —Marlborough T.C. ' March 2—Waikato T.C. March 6—Manawatu T.C. March 9—Timaru T.C. March 13—Wyndham T.C. March 16—New Brighton T C March 23—Thames T.C. March 30—Takaka T.C. March 30. April I—Hawera T.C. March 30. April 3—M.Z. Metropolitan T.C April 11. 13—Wanganui T.C. April 20—Ashburton T.C. April 20—Te Aroha T.C.

Providing the conditions of the next Xew Zealand Trotting Cup are the same as they were last November, Kingcraft has qualified. At the Wellington meeting he is handicapped on 4.25j which brings him into the cup class.

W. Head will possibly take The Shrew to the Wellington meeting. The chestnut mare has been kept going since the Auckland meeting, and is very well, but if she is to win a race it may be in the mile and a-quarter.

Native Hero is # a pacer who promises to work his way into good company this season. He is on the front of the 4.46 two miles at Wellington next Saturday, and if produced in that race he should be one of the hardest to beat.

When Chef won the mile saddle on Saturday at the Timaru meeting he set the backmarkers something to do. He was on the limit of a 2.19 class, and won going 2.13 3-5. As Royal Serene stood the winner up 36yds, and ran him to a length and a-half he must have travelled.

Except that two or three local trainers have intentions of taking horses to the Wellington meeting, there is nothing doing outside the usual steady work at Epsom. There are a few maiden horses being given steady exercise with a view to being raced at the country fixtures, but they are not a very promising lot.

Unless you happen to be the owner of the good one it is hard to win an improvers' race these days. At Timaru on Saturday in the Levels Handicap, June de Oro, from a 3.35 m*rk, won by eight lengths in 3.29. After the race the driver, O. E. Hooper, was fined £2 for looking round. Perhaps he was having a look to eee if the others had fallen down a hole.

The American-bred pacer, Travis Axworthy, gave another taste of his quality on Saturday, when he scored a very comfortable win at the Timaru meeting. The chestnut was on 2.50 in a mile and a-quarter, and in only having to go 2.49 he should not have damaged bis future prospects a great deal. It depends, of course, upon how the handicappers sum up his latest win.

The pacer Acron has left G. S. Smith'e stable and the mile record holder has been returned to his owner, Mr. J. R. McKenzie. Smith spent a lot of time with the fast but now unreliable pacer, but Acron would not do his best with the colours up. He is not likely to be further persevered with, as his manners at the barrier are bad in addition to the uncertainty of his racing solidly.

At the Goulburn (Vic.) Cup meeting a fortnight ago, the Cup was won by Walla Walla, who earned a name for doing sensational things in Sydney a few months ago. His Goulburn success was not without incident also, as the Globe Derby horse lost about 50 yards at the start. But with one of his remarkable bursts of speed, he had the measure of the opposition at the end of a mile, eventually winning easily in 3.30 for the mile and a-half.

The Auckland sportsman, Mr. Geo. McMillan, is having a run of luck with Dundas Boy, and with this pacer he won the Presidents' Handicap, the principal event at the Timaru meeting on Saturday. It wae a close thing between victory and defeat, and it was only by a neck that Dundas Boy beat an outsider in Omaha. Handicapped on 4.32 Mr. McMillan's pacer went 4.31 3-5. so that he did not improve upon his handicap much.

The local trainer, J. Shaw, has anything but a strong team in work, and it is not going to be easy for him to get much more money this season. Jackie Audubon, on his present mark, is a hard proposition, and the handicapper is not making it easy for him. Ribbonwood's Last, although a winner at the Christmas meeting, will find it hard to win again, and the maiden Caramel will take time to come right. Warplane looks the best proposition to win for him, but Torpedo Huon may be a good sort, although that remains' to be seen. Native Prince is a speedy customer, but on a mark where he is going to have difficulty in picking up a stake.

It is rppujrTiant to common sen«e to inflict punish-ment for an imajinary offence, says "Sentinel." At the Vincent meeting a rider who was seven or eisht lengths in front of the rest of the field when half-way up the straight was fined f2 for looking round. In doing so he did not jeopardise his own or any other horse's chance in the race or do anything except take a glance to see if any danger threatened, and if so, what should be done in such a case? There is nothing in the Rules of Racing to say that a rider cannot look round if he can do so with expert alertness, and whilst that is so punishment for an imaginary offence becomes ridiculous when real and fraudulent practices escape official notice.