Curtain Rung Down On Record Auckland Trotting Season

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 145, 21 June 1941, Page 4 (Supplement)

Curtain Rung Down On Record Auckland Trotting Season

(By WILLIAM J. BYRNE.) With the curtain rung down on the 1940-41 trotting season in the Auckland Province followers of the sport can sit back with ccmplacercy, and view with keen satisfaction a period that takes some knocking from any point of view. As meeting succeeded meeting tne attendance was on the up and up, and contemporaneously the totahsator reached new levels. Auckland Secretary A. L. Forrest, having his second season in charge of the affairs of the local club, closed his book of figures after the final day on May 28 on investments for the province verging on the three-quarter of a million mark, of which £5 72,952 put through the Auckland Put-And-Take machine, an increase of £70,835.

QNCE again little Max Stewart, Te Rapa ho rseman, left the barrier promptly, and when the count was taken it was found that he had won twenty-three races with horses trained by himself and, in addition, he had driven Nawton Junior, Our Peggy and Double Peter to victory for other trainers, his successes being spread over different parts of the North Island, and there were also some in Canterbury. Max, who was the leading driver end trainer in the Dominion last season, with 30 and 32 wins respectively, kicked off well in August last at the one-day meeting at Alexandra Park, where he won the first division of the Mount Eden Handicap with Mitaya, and followed that up by taking the winning double—the August Handicap with Molly Direct and the Massey Memorial with Tinker. Molly Direct, a bonny little mare by Jack Potts from Real Girl, owned by the South Island sportsman, Mr. W. T. Lowe, was easily his best money-spinner. After contributing £910 from the Auckland coffers towards the cost of keeping the wolf at arm's length, Molly trotted off to Addington in April last and there won the Halswell and Papanui Handicaps, thus making her earnings for the season no less than £1610. The stable representatives as a whole won approximately £7000. Other Waikato horsemen to do well were G. T. Mitchell, A. W. Broughton, I R. Dunn, C. Moran and C. G. ("Togo")

(Lee. "Darkie" Broughton produced ja couple of smart pacers at the back-end of the season in Parrish Lad and \\ arwick. These horser have plenty of speed, and it will sur prise if they do not win other racer ! cany in the new season. Warwick a six-year-old gelding by Jack Pott/ from Satin Queen, is owned by Mr. L. ,T. Parkes, who won the Auckland Cup in 1928 and 1929 with Golf" .Jacket, driven by Andv Price, a son of the veteran "Scottv" Brvce. Broughton, one of the best drivers in these parts, had two outstanding driving successes with horses trainee by other men. These were Bayard, prepared by Joe Gee, and Worth\ Need, one of Free Holmes' team Broughton drove Bayard when the little son of Frank Worthy deadheated with Bold Venture in the Auckland Cup Trial, and after being beaten in the Cup at Alexandra Park he piloted him to victory in the President's Handicap. Bayard, from 48yds behind, covered the two miles in 4.16 2-5 to beat Bold Venture bv half a length. When Free Holmes was prevented by sickness in the familv from coming to Auckland with Worthy Need for the recent meeting, Clarrie Rhodes. Free's son-in-law and owner of the horse, handed the ribbons to Broughton, and they beat a jolly good field in the C. F. Mark Memorial. The Squire of Village Farm, F. J. Smith, whose victories in these parts for several seasons past are almost innumerable, was right on Stewart's wheel for first honours, and he only went under by one, his total of 22 wins being secured after several pieces of misfortune in the stable. Although Our Jfewel, purchased from Mrs. G. Jew at the (beginning

of the season by Dr. M. G. Pezaro and Mr. E. G. Bridgens, was the principal earner in these parts with £965 to his credit, undoubtedly the star of the stable was the handsome American-bred stallion Josedale Grattan, who races in the same interests as Our Jewel. His main achievement here was to win the Adams Memorial last month in 3.14 3-5 for the mile and a half, but if a succevss at Addington last August is taken into consideration he is right up with Our Jewel. Josedale Grattan's preparation was interrupted on more than one occasion during the term, with the result that he had only four starts in the province, thus vitally affecting his earning capacity. Keen judges in the South Island, so often referred to as "The Home of Trotting," are not slow to admit that losedale Grattan is probably the best "torse in the Dominion. What is more, he looks the part—every inch in aristocrat. ' F..J." also won the Great Northern Trotting Stakes with Symphony, a tvhsh-looking fillv bv Rev de Oro rom Knockninny Belle, for'the presi-; lent of the Auckland Club, and after he race Mr. Bridgens made no secreti ->t t»it fact that none of his many' wins on the race track had given him nore pleasure than Symphony's ■uccess. Of, U le M angere trainers, "Silent Tim Paul did best with nine winners, Mah Jong, Within, Air Pilot, Tenacity, Rangefinder, Davev Day ind Parrish Queen winning £1745 for he stable, but Bayard, trained by : Oee for Mr. H. Salter, was the oiggest individual stake-earner with •-1257, the consistent Kenworthy coming next, his total being £885. Epsom, which has been on the toboggan with the removal to other centres of several trainers, notably F. J. Smith, and more recently the Messrs. J J. and E. N. Kennerley and L. J. Mahoney, had a comparatively lean year. Strange though it may seem, Princess Linnett, who failed to win a race, did best in the way of earnings which amounted to £380 for seven minor placings in the interests of the McKendrick Brothers, while the Newdick Brothers topped the winning owners' list for the Park with £540, thanks to the efforts of Dick Redmond, Monty Chimes and Moko Direct. One of these days Epsom will again come into its own as a training resort, than which there is none better in the country.