TROTTING N.Z. Training Methods Too Hard In Australia

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28369, 30 August 1957, Page 4

TROTTING N.Z. Training Methods Too Hard In Australia

New Zealand methods of training pacers cannot be successfully applied to Australian horses. That has been the experience of leading trainers such as Fred and Frank Kersley. They have both put horses through the “tough-by-our-standards” routine New Zealand trainers adopt to get their horses ready for a campaign, but they found their horses could not stand it, says the “Daily News,” a Perth newspaper. Trainers in Perth were amazed at the amount of work Caduceus did and the way he thrived on it at the Inter-Dominion Championship meeting earlier in the year. The same views were expressed when Blue, Mist was in Perth in 1953. The abundance of grass and good chaff and oats available to horses in New Zealand was largely the reason for their success in Australia. It also enabled them to stand up to plenty of hard work and racing, said A. Vassallo, formerly of Perth, to inquiries made by the "Daily News." Vassallo was in charge of'Caduceus on his trip to Perth and he drove him to win the Farewell Handicap at Addington on Saturday. Perth trainers realised that the New Zealand climate is colder than that in Western Australia, and this meant that oats Could be fed to horses much more readily than in a warm climate, he said. . . New Zealand studmasters had drawn heavily on the United States for well-bred stallions and mares, and many horses racing in the Dominion have all-American parentage. Trotting did not go so far back in Australia as it does in New Zealand. Its real progress in Australia did not start until after 1914, when night trotting began. The breeding of trotting stock had been intensified In more recent years, but there was room for improvement.

From New Zealand The most successful breeders in Western Australia were those who had Imported good blood from New Zealand, said Mr Vassallo. Tn that way, breeders got the benefit of importations from the United States by New Zealand studmasters.

W. Clark, who has been one of the leading breeders in Western Australia, has had as foundation mares Royal Conquest, Heart’s Aflame, and Jack’s Queen. They were all bred in New Zealand

nd are by Jack Potts. New Zealand blood is the basis

of breeding at the studs of the president of the Western Australian Trotting Association (Mr J. P. Stratton) and Mr N. D. Duncan. Many horses with unfashionable and short pedigrees were being bred from in Western Australia each year, continues the “Daily News." The Western Australian Trotting Association was taking steps to lift the breeding industry and new steps would operate with respect to sires which stand at the stud this spring. _ Sires must be registered with the association and be in the Australian or New Zealand Stud Books. Formerly, registration and two generations of registered parents sufficed. The registrar (Mr A. H. Ross) is examining the pedigrees of all prospective sires for this spring. Those which do mot comply will not be registered and any future progeny by them will not be allowed to race. Meeting of Horsemen

No decision regarding the payment of losing driving fees to trainers was made at a special meeting of the. New Zealand Horsemen’s Association in Christchurch on Wednesday evening. It was decided to wait until a deputation from the association met members of the North Island Horsemen’s Association and discussed the subject with them. Greymouth Officers

A steward of the club for the last 21 years, Mr Ramsay Reid was elected president of the Greymouth Trotting Club at its annual meeting. He replaces Mr J. Steel, who did not seek re-elec-tion after having held office for the last 11 years. Mr Steel and Mr T. Oxenham were elected vice-presidents. The vacancy on the committee caused by the resignation of Mr W. Meldrum was filled by Mr

D. Saunders after an election in which three members who had retired by rotation, Messrs T. E. Coates,-F. Costello and L. S. Robertson, were also successful candidates. Frontiersman in Doubt Frontiersman is continuing to concern his owner, Mr W. Hosking, and trainer, J. K. Hughes. The trouble, which prevented his racing at Addington earlier in the month, has failed to clear up satisfactorily, and his future may be in doubt. Frontiersman is one of the most promising pacers seen in the Auckland district for some time, and it was expected that he would graduate to New Zealand Cup class in the next few weeks. He graduated -to a 4min 24see mark for two miles when he won at Auckland in May. Hughes is preparing Dune, Celestial and Light Call for racing at Auckland early next month, and it is hoped that Frontiersman' will improve quickly enough to be prepared for racing at Auckland in October. Five Wins

A feat which old trotting followers claim had not since been equalled in the Dominion was accomplished by the Canterbury mare, Semolina, at the first meeting to be conducted by the Greymouth Trotting Club. She won all five races on the programme. This was pointed out by the treasurer, Mr W. E. J. Steer, at the annual meeting of the club. The first meeting was held on Queen's Birthday, May 24, 1890. The “gate” was £32 Ils, and the booth produced £l4, said Mr Steer. Race cards earned £2, and the totalisator gross was £8 19s 6d, from .which expenses had to be met, and the investments came to only £95. Stakes totalled £lO9, with £35 for the main race.

For Australia The Epsom trainer, G. Stubbs, is to make Another trip to Sydney with the trotter, Quona. The Logan Derby mare more than paid expenses on a trip to Sydney two years ago. She did not' win a race, but was placed on numerous occasions at remunerative odds. Stubbs also had some success in Australia a few years ago with a consistent pacer in Certify.

Another Epsom trainer, A. Barron, and a Kumeu owner-trainer, F. Baker, plan to accompany Stubbs. Barron Will take Dry Dust, and Baker will have Vera Derby and Susan Blue. Dry Oust, a seven-year-old ' gelding by Equipoise, won twice last season. Vera Derby, an aged mare by Emulous from Rosa Derby, was placed at her only start last season. Susan Blue, a half-sister by Northumberland to Vera Derby, was twice placed last season. Her best effort was h«r second to Caricature in the Waikato Futurity Stakes in May. If she makes satisfactory progress she may contest classic events at Harold Park later in the season.