WATTY LAWN’S GOOD WIN

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27073, 23 June 1953, Page 5

WATTY LAWN’S GOOD WIN

trotting

BEID memorial at CLAUDELANDS

Watty Lawn brought his record for the season to four wins and six Sacings from 15 starts when he won Ke R T. Reid Memorial Handicap, the first leg of the double on the openZ e day of the Waikato Trotting Club’s winter meeting at Claudelands on Saturday. Watty Lawn was never far away, and he revelled in the heavy tfoing. He was pocketed until the last Lif-mile, and this trail enabled him to have too much in reserve for the others. The New Brighton mare, ReB finished on boldly over the last furlongs to run the winner to ;han a length. I owned and trained at Tamahere by ; ; v A. McMillan, Watty Lawn has shown more than average ability this i season, particularly in bad ground. He can both sprint and stay, and more ‘should be heard of him next season. | He is a six-year-old bla'ck gelding by I Master Lawn from Bold Venture, a igood winner about 15 years ago. by I Great Parrish from Kewpie’s Bond, | bv Worthy Bond. Bold Venture is also * the dam of Shirley Lawn, a good i winner for McMillan, and Whare Toa. | Watty Lawn is a member of the Kewi nie family, to which other useful per- ' formers in Mundanity, Alkin, Vera I Grattan, Mourne Spring, and Kewpie’s | Guy belong. I Regalia, which was having her first 'start for two months, did well'to take ' second place after disputing the lead | with. Patrick Earl after the favourite and pacemaker, Barbara Gaillard, broke with two furlongs to run. The '' Grattan Loyal mare is in great heart I’ ! jt present, and she should do better next Saturday as a result of the run Patrick Earl ran his usuaLsolid race to take third place two lengths back. The Robert Earl gelding is racing well at present, and he should not be long winning again. He was followed in at intervals by Barbara Gaillard, Village King and Amoroso. Red Slipper and Red Shade were pulled up with half a mile to run. Fiftieth Anniversary The Canterbury Owners’ and Breeders’ Association will hold a function during yew Zealand Trotting Cup week to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the association. Investments at Ashburton Trotting events on galloping programmes in Canterbury have proved great betting races in the past, and Saturday at Ashburton was no exception. Total investments during the day, including the double, were £29,283 10s. of xVhich £9749 jOs was invested on the two trotting events. Investments on the Lyndhurst Handicap totalled £3963, and on the Winchmore Handicap £5786 10s. Showed Speed Sir John showed a useful turn of speed for a time in the Winchmore Handicap it Ashburton on Saturday. He began smartly from 24 yards and was tenth at the end of a furlong. He raced round the field to be one of the leaders with seven furlongs to run, but he tired running to the straight, where he was a good way back in sixth place. He was not knocked about in the straight and finished thirteenth. Sir John is very well at present and he will have prospects of winning a race when the class is not too rich. Good Report The Italian-bred stallion. Good Report, groused considerable interest when he paraded in the Coronation Handicap at the Waikato Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday. He was set an almost impossible task from 180 yards, but was backed down to be the 5, 5 favourite. Good Report showed speed in the early stages of the race, but was anchored in the going !n the middle stages of the race. He dropped right out and was eventually pulled up. Good Report, which showed wnsiderable ability when trained by P. P. Gallagher at Washdyke, ds to do stud duty in the Auckland district next season. Fees to be Refunded As the Rangiora-Cheviot Trotting Club had closed its withdrawals for its meeting on June 6, nine days before the meeting, horses which won at Wellington and Ashburton had not been able to race at langiora, said the chairman of the Canterbury Owners' and Breeders’ Association (Mr H. W. Drewery) at a committee meeting. When he had approached the club he had been informed that because bi the cost of printing race books with the intervention of Coronation week-end

they had had no option but to close their withdrawals early. The club would be pleased to refund nomination and acceptance fees to owners who were penalised.

Breeder of Pot Luck Dead Mr J. D. Smith, whose death occurred in Christchurch recently, was a well-known owner, trainer, and breeder of light harness horses for many years. From the Rothschild mare, Raven’s Girl, he bred Hope Dillon (3min 33sec), Mac Dillon (2min 45 l-ssec), Dark Girl, Eureka Soy (2min 42sec), and Bexley Girl (4min 19sec), several of which he raced with considerable success. From Hope Dillon he bred the brilliant pacer. Pot Luck, which in the nomination of Mr H. Stafford won many important races, including the final of the Inter-Dominion Championships held at Addington in 1938. Mr Smith drove and trained many winners and took a keen interest in administration as a member of the Canterbury Owners’ and Breeders’ Association.

Trainers and Drivers W. R. Butt remains in the lead on the trainers’ and drivers’ lists after racing on Saturday, but in each list his lead has Ueen reduced. On the trainers’ list, C. Hadfield is now within four of Butt, who has produced the winners of 36 races, as a result of Gypsy Queen and Peggy Scott winning at Claudelands. Hadfield will have a big team racing on the second- day of the Waikato meeting, but it is doubtful whether he will be able to head Butt, who seems assured of the trainers’ premiership this season. Butt and Hadfield are well clear of the other trainers, who are headed by N. L. Berkett with 24, C. R. Berkett 20, C. S. Donald, J. K. Hughes, and H. Purdon 17, A M. Purdon 16, G. T. Mitchell 15, M. Holmes, D. M. Kerr, and D. Todd 14. On the drivers’ list, Butt’s position is still not secure. He now has a lead of only two over R. Young and M. Stewart. The last-named drove Gypsy Queen and Peggy Scott to win at the Waikato meeting on Saturday, and he will have bright prospects of winning at least two races with members of Hadfield’s team on the second day of the meeting this week. Young had one drive behind Lady Jane at the Ashburton meeting on Saturday, but she was unplaced. M. Holmes is fourth on the list with 24 wins, followed by N. L. Berkett 23, C. R. Berkett 21, S. A. Edwards 20, D. R. Grantham and J. G. Hampton with 18, A. M. Purdon and J. K. Hughes 17, K. Ballock and A. W. Broughton 16, and D. M. Kerr 14. x