TROTTING NOTES

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23247, 6 February 1941, Page 9

TROTTING NOTES

Reminders A meeting of the Board-of the New Zealand Trotting Association will be held at 10 a.m. to-morrow. The first race at the Canterbury Park Club’s meeting on Saturday will start at noon. Handicaps for the New Brighton Trotting Club’s meeting will be declared on Friday and acceptances will be taken up till 5 p.m. next Tuesday. Canterbury Park Meeting The list of acceptances received for the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday must be pleasing to the officials of the club, for while the Paparua Handicap has drawn only eight acceptors, this is a field big enough to provide the best class or race, truly run. Zincali is the early favourite, and a win in the Wellington Cup—although in that race Gold Bar appeared to be below his form of the opening day—was perhaps deserved. In the Paparua Handicap there is no Gold Bar to divert the attention of bettors, and L. A. Maidens, with Zincali, may produce the favourite. Great Divide may be troublesome from the start, and the ever-consistent Harold Guy is a place prospect. On her day Lightning Lady cannot be overlooked in any company and Navy Blue’s form at Forbury Park was consistently good. Nell Grattan always races well and while Plutus is possibly a better class horse than others engaged he is asked to give away 60 yards. Bill B. was one of the prime fancies for the Auckland Cup, and while he failed there was good reason for the support accorded him. Although only eight horses are eligible for this race it appears to be the most open on the programme, Possibly Zincali. Great Divide, and Navy Blue will dispute popularity in the betting. A Useful Three-year-old Gold Flight, winner of the Waiwhetu Handicap on the second day of the Wellington Trotting Club's meeting, is a three-year-old gelding by Rey de Oro from the American mare Slapfast. This young pacer has a good record this season for before his win at Hutt Park he had won a race, had been once second, and once third. Slapfast was imported from America by Mr J. R. McKenzie and held the yearling record of 2min 22jsec. When she came to New Zealand she went into D. Withers’s stable, but quite failed to reproduce the speed she had shown in America. As a four-year-old she was sent to the stud and produced Roydon, Greatfast, and several others to Great Bingen and Silk Thread. Gold Flight is a good type of pacer and may be seen to further advantage. He is trained at Hutt Park by his owner D. G. Nyhan. Auckland Trotting Club Oh the opening day of the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting a programme of eight events has been arranged for, but on the second day there are only seven races. On the first day, however, the Waiheke Handicap has drawn a big field of maiden pacers and this event will be run In divisions, one on each day. Apparently there are more maiden pacers in Auckland than there are in Canterbury, and only the issue of extra permits will allow them to graduate from this class. Gold Bar One of the hottest favourites ever produced at Hutt Park left his backers lamenting when Gold Bar failed to stay on over the final stages of the Wellington Trotting Cup Handicap, the feature event of the second day of the Wellington Trotting Club’s summer meeting on Saturday, says the “Evening Post.” An indication of how heavily the gelding was supported is revealed by the fact that an each-way investment on the horse would have produced a profit of only a little over 15 per cent, had he won. No excuses could be offered for the defeat of Gold Bar, for he made his own pace from the start, and seeing that he ran the first mile in only 2min 18sec, whereas, he had covered the same distance in 2min Bsec on the previous day, it is difficult to advance any reason why he failed to run on when pressed in the straight. His driver evidently knew that the gelding was weakening quickly just after straightening turning for home, for he did not drive him right out when tackled.