TROTTING Disappointing Field In Cup At Washdyke

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28793, 14 January 1959, Page 4

TROTTING Disappointing Field In Cup At Washdyke

A disappointingly small field of nine pacers will meet in the £l5OO Timaru Centennial Cup, the feature race on the last day of the Timaru Trotting Club’s summer meeting at Washdyke on Saturday. The club received 15 nominations for the race, which will be run under invitation conditions over two miles for a stake which is the richest ever given by the Timaru club.

The six horses to be withdrawn on Monday were Honest Charles, Overdrive, Scottish Command, Suzendy, Thunder and Caduceus. The Forbury Park Trotting Club has received only 12 nominations for a similar race to be run a week later. This poor response has been expected for some weeks. An unusually large number of horses have gone amiss and have had to be put aside, and the New Zealand Trotting Conference has allowed clubs to frame programmes disregarding the flow of horses through the various classes. This negative outlook has resulted m the majority of clubs loosening classes to such an extent that horses on moderately tight assessments find it difficult to obtain distance handicap events. The handicaps issued for the Timaru Centennial Cup have aroused considerable comment. The conditions for the race are the same as those which governed the New Zealand Pacing Championship run at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s cup meeting on November 29. That race was won by False Step, which beat Caduceus by a length and a half, with a length and a half back to Lady Belmer and a length to Gentry. Invicta was a fair fifth, with Lady Shona beaten off sixth, Overdrive ninth, and Trueco last. False Step’s Handicap False Step that day started from 30 yards and recorded 4min 11 l-ssec for the two miles. He has been placed on 42 yards in the Timaru race, which appears at first glance to be a 12-yard penalty for that win. It is also possible his win in an invitation sprint race at Addington on January 2 may have been considered.

However, Lady Belmer, which was well beaten into third place at Addington after starting from 18 yards, will this Saturday start from 30 yards, also a penalty of 12 yards. This means she will meet False Step under the same terms as at Addington. Lady Shona is in the same category. She was well down the track at Addington after starting from the front, but this week she shares the 12-yard mark with the Auckland Cup winner, Macklin.

Thunder, which did not start in the Addington race, was handicapped on 42 yards, but in the Timaru race, where again he will not start, he was placed on 42 yards. With one exception the other horses which were handicapped at Addington and also at Timaru have been put back an additional six yards. The exception is Overdrive, which was placed on the front in both races. Thus the other horses meet False Step on only six yards more favourable terms at Washdyke than at Addington and the Fallacy stallion has had two wins and earned £1755 in stakes. The handicapper has obviously framed the handicaps for the race to enhance the prospects of the slower-assessed horses. This has been achieved to the disadvantage of a few of the betterperformed horses. The handicaps to be issued next Monday for the Dunedin Cup will arouse considerable interest, especially as most of the horses at Timaru are engaged again.

Overseas Visit The well-known New Brighton trainer, H. Stafford, is booked to leave in April on an eight-montl) trip to England and the Continent. Stafford will be accompanied by his family. Stafford has decided not to persevere further with Mighty Fine or Marshall Foi and they have been put aside. Queen Rani, the winner of two races earlier in the season, has been returned to her owner, Mrs D. Green, of Templeton. She has been most disappointing lately. Ben Lee is one of the very small team Stafford has in work at present.

Big Entry The Hororata Trotting Club has received 60 nominations for the Selwyn Handicap, which will be divided into two races, for maiden pacers at the club’s annual meeting on January 24. Unless there are heavy scratchings, there will be a number of horses unable to get a race. Nominations for the maiden races at the Timaru Trotting Club’s meeting were also heavy, 33 horses being balloted from the Fair view Handicap, which will be run this Saturday. The, majority of these horses failed to get a run on either day of the meeting.

Surprise Favourite Great Caution, a surprise favourite, was having his first start since joining R. Purdon’s Te Awamutu team, when he led from end to end in the Tristram Handicap, the main race for trotters at the Waikato meeting last Saturday. He was strongly challenged in the straight by the backmarker, Apple Cider, and had to be driven out to win by a head. Great Caution had not raced previously this season and was formerly trained in Canterbury. His record last season was poor—no placings from 11 starts. He won well enough on Saturday to suggest that he will soon win again in the north.

Winner From Leeston The Leeston owner-trainer, W. J. Doyle, went close to winning both races for trotters on the first day of the Timaru Trotting Club’s summer meeting at Washdyke last Saturday. Chances Are, after starting from 36 yards in the Kingsdown Handicap, finished with a fine burst over the last 100 yards and just failed to catch Extra Light and Dlanthus GirL Reflective, a half-sister by Ripcord to Chances Are, gained an overdue win when she beat Kaboon in the Waimate Handicap. She, too, finished on in grand style. Doyle this Saturday has Hey There engaged in the Rosehill Handicap. He was a last-start winner at Ashburton and should go close to repeating that effort. Reflective has gone back 24 yards as a result of her win last week, but that may not be sufficient to keep her out of the money in the Gleniti Handicap. Showdown, which is raced by Doyle, blit trained by D. J. Townley, looks a great place prospect in the Timaru Centennial Cup. The Light Brigade pacer won the Ashburton Cup at his last start, returning a game performance to beat Robert Dillon after being headed inside the furlong.