TROTTING NOTES

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22920, 17 January 1940, Page 10

TROTTING NOTES

Reminders Acceptances for events on the first day of the Forbury Park. Trotting Club's meeting will-close at 5 p.m. on Friday. The first race. each day will start at 12.30 p.m. On February 26 nominations for the Auckland Trotting Club's meeting will be taken and on this date the final payment for.the Great Northern Derby must also be made.

Nominations for the Wellington Trotting Club's meeting will close to-day. Nominations for the Canterbury Park Trotting Club's meeting will close on January 30. Benefit Meeting:

The acceptances for the benefit meeting to be held at Addington on Saturday are even better than the nominations received, for since the entries were published, a number of horses have" been added to this list. This is the case in the Two-year-old parade, which now gives every indication of providing one of the features of the day's racing. Two-year-old racing is always full of interest; and though it is very early in the season, followers of form are already on the look-out for youngsters that might do well in the classic races later in the year. The Invitation Flying Mile will still be contested by the five originally entered; and here a sensational mile may be- expected. The meeting has been organised to raise funds for the St, John Ambulance whose members have done yeoman service on the racecourses of Canterbury. The owners and trainers have already shown their willingness to provide first-class sport and they are assured of very strong support from the race-loving public. The Dunedin Cup Handicapped on 4min 21sec for two miles, the New Zealand Cup winner Lucky Jack is asked to concede 60 yards to the other eight horses en-

gaged in the Dunedin Cup, and though the task appears formidable it is one f that is not beyond the ability of the Jack Potts pacer. King's Play, who had riot shown any outstanding form for "some, time, won the ton Cup like a true racehorse, "and though the track might have suited him better than it did the majority, he is equally at home on a dry l£aek. C. S. Donald is giving Plutus and the handsome black stallion 1 cannot be discarded in the prospects for any race. .

R. B. Berry has two other good pacers to support Lucky Jack in Great Jewel and Southern Chief, but as the latter is also in the Flying Handicap, the final event of the first day, he is not likely to be an acceptor for .the Cup. Great Jewel, at one time a reputedly unsound horse and a doubtful racing proposition, appears to have improved with the work he has been given, and his displays at Addington must give to his admirers a confidence that he can go two miles with the very best. Marsceres was one of the fancL -: for the NewwZealand Cup and now his old pilot, G. McKendry, will be in the sulky, his chances will be more than ever favoured in this race. In the event of a heavy track Marsceres may be the actual favourite. Pot Luck is on a 4min 25sec mark. At his best he is a great pacer with a phenomenal burst of speed over the concluding stages. Colonel Grattan, in the opinion of many, nught have won the New Zealand Cup had not a tragic accident, occurred in the race, and his racing at the Canterbury Park meeting showed that he had lost none of his brilliance and that his trainer, V. Leeming, knows now to handle his crack pacer. Raced in front at a steady pace Colonel Grattan has shown great form and he will be afforded every opportunity in this Renown's Best, on occasions, shown speed and stamina to win any race, but few and far between have been her brilliant bursts of sustained speed. In the early selections for this race favour must be accoraea Great Jewel, Cojonal Grattan, and BOi Luck. •