TROTTING NOTES

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21580, 17 September 1935, Page 14

TROTTING NOTES

Reminders Nominations for the Methven Trotting Club's meeting will close on Thursday. Nominations for the New Brighton Trotting Club's second spring meeting will close on September 26. Acceptances for trotting events at the Ashburton County Racing Club's spring meeting will close to-day. At 5 p.m. on September 30 nominations of present two-year-olds will be taken for the Ashburton Trotting Club for t.ie New Zealand Champion Stakes, to be run at the club's meeting on Boxing Day, 1936. The value of the race is 650 sovs, the first horse to receive 385 sovs, the second 150 sovs, the third 80 sovs, and the fourth 35 sovs. , New Zealand.Cap The conditions.for the New Zealand Cup, to be decided in November, have been issued, and while a stake of 1500 sovs and a gold cup valued at 100 sovs has been offered for competition, the race is for horses assessed at 4min 27 sec or better. Nominations will close at 12 noon on October 3.

Naming of Races "Sooner or later," says a Melbourne newspaper, "the Victoria Racing Club will honour the name of its late chairman, Mr L. K. S. Mackinnon by naming a race after him." Unfortunately the Victoria Racing Club has left it to a very late date to pay tribute to a great administrator; but the lesson need not be lost on controllers of trotting in New Zealand to drop the meaningless names of many of its races and substitute the names of sportsmen who have done more for the sport than many men at present holding official positions. The name of H. F. Nicoll has not yet been selected for a race, although his farm. Durbar, finds a name on the Ashburton programme. The name of C. F. Mark appears on the Auckland programme, and Ritchie and James are the names of handicaps on the Forbury Park card. On the majority of programmes, however, the Electric, Telegraph, and Farewell Handicaps appear with monotonous regularity and perhaps the programme committee of the Canterbury Park Club many years ago showed a sense of humour when it named two races the Elevation and the Aviation Handicaps. These races were for unhoppled trotters, and at that time were appropriately named, i for as a rule the horses were not long on the journey before they were "in , the air." Up to -he present the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club' has not presented the programme for its November meeting; but it is to be rioped that the practice of naming races after streets and districts will be dropped and the names of men who have done something for' the sport ! substituted. It may be* left to the good judgment of the programme committee to honour in proper fashion the names j of men who have proved pillars of the light harness sport.

Champion Four-year-olds Graham Direct's win at Wellington on Saturday gives him the right to be classed as the best four-year-old of the season, for he has twice beaten Gamble when conceding the chestnut a start of 12 yards, and was beaten once when attempting to give away 36 yards start in two miles. Graham Direct has raced consistenly well on grass and dirt tracks, while two of Gamble's defeats this season have been on the grass. The next serious contest between the pair may be reserved for the meeting at Addington in November. Graham Direct and his trainers and driviers, F. G. Holmes and F. Holmes, must be given credit for the excellent form shown, for as a two-year-old Graham Direct appeared to be a very temperamental pacer, and was regarded as almost incorrigible at the barrier. Patience and the natural ability of the Holmes family have not altogether got rid of the failing; but a great improvement has been made, and Graham' Direct may yet develop into a good, genuine racehorse from the start. The record of Graham Direct is rather interesting, for at two years he started eight times before he won the Victoria Park Handicap at Greymouth. Last season the three-year-old started 21 times, winning the New Zealand Champion Stakes, Gamble being second, the Cheviot Cup, the April Handicap, and Trotting Club Handicap at Greymouth, the Renown Handicap at Forbury Park, and the Harewood Handicap at Canterbury Park. Since August 1 his record is as follows: Won Trial Handicap and second in the Islington Handicap at Addington; sec6nd in the Wainoni Handicap at New Brighton; won Bollard Memorial at Wellington. In four starts this season Graham* Direct has won £430. Last season his total was £991, and at two years he won £63, a total of £1484, In the same period Gamble has won £1157, and another very promising young pacer .in Grace McElwyn has earned £709. In successive years truly fine four-year-old pacers have appeared. At the start of his four-year-old career Indianapolis was on 4min 32sec, War Buoy a year later was on 4min 40sec, and Graham Direct j started the present season off 4min 37sec. Indianapolis did enough in the next 12 months to qualify for and win the New Zealand Cup, and at the present time War Buoy is one of the popular fancies for this race. With Graham Direct now on 4min 31sec and Gamble on 4min 33sec there is every j prospect of the latter pair being in the best class company next year.

Train Arrangements For the Methven Trotting Club's meeting, to be held at Methven on Saturday, October 5, the following train arrangements have been made:— Special passenger train will leave Christchurch at 9.5 a.m., Addington 9.11, Sockburn 9.19, Hornby 9.23, Ternpleton 9.31, Rolleston 9.42, Dunsandel 10.0, Rakaia 10.20, and arrive Methven at 11.15 a.m. It will stop only at stations named, and at Hatfield, SOmerton,- Mitcham, and Sherwood to pick up passengers for Methven. The return train will leave Methven 5.10 p.m., and arrive Christchurch 7.17 p.m. A special train, taking horses and passengers for Methven, will leave Christchurch at 7.30 a.m., and will arrive at Methven at 10.25 a.m. It will stop only at Addington, Hornby, Rolleston, Dunsandel, Rakaia. Lauriston, Urrall, Lyndhurst, and Cairnbrae to pick up passengers for Methven, and where required between Christchurch and Rolleston, and at Rakaia to lift horses for Methven. The return train will leave Methven at 6 p.m., and will stop where required to set down passengers and put off horses.

AUSTRALIAN RACING GAY BLONDE PRAISED (tTJRTED PKBSS ASSOCIATION —COPTBIOHT.i SYDNEY, September 16. Commenting on the performances of Gay Blonde and Sporting Blood at Randwick, the "Sydney Morning Herald" says:—The racing public had not long to wait for a taste of the quality of the horses sent from New Zealand this year. Gay Blonde is certainly a beautiful mare of great courage and stamina.