TROTTING Arania And Aldora To Race At Auckland

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29002, 17 September 1959, Page 5

TROTTING Arania And Aldora To Race At Auckland

Canterbury stables will be represented by Arania and Aldora on the first night of the Auckland Trotting Club’s September meeting next Saturday. They were taken north last Monday evening. Arania, which is a member of G. B. Noble’s team, is in the care of D. Mangos who will drive her in her engagements at Auckland.

Although she has won only one race Arania is one of the most consistent performers among the younger pacers in commission. She raced 10 times as a two-year-pld last season and finished out of a place twice. Her win was against her own sex in the Wellington Juvenile Stakes at Hutt Park in April.

She was runner-up to Sun Chief, last season’s leading two-year-old, in three races. They were the Golden Slipper Stakes at Waimate, the Canterbury Park and Oamaru Juvenile Stakes. She gained the same number of thirds. Sun Chief and Blue Prince beat her in the. Timaru Nursery Stakes, Hautapu, which was unbeaten in four starts in the North Island, and Prince Tangier finished in front of her in the Robert Mortlock Memorial Juvenile Stakes at Hawera, and she was third to Johnboy Star and Calumite in the Methven Two-Year-Old Stakes. Her other placing was a fourth behind Mystic Star, Sally Boy and Johnboy Star in the Invitation Stakes at Geraldine. Arania has trained on satisfactorily this term. She beat all but Sally Boy home in the Canterbury Challenge Stakes at Addington last month. Her time of 2min 39 2-ssec for the mile and a quarter was exceptionally good. Last Saturday at Amberley Arania was tried against older rivals in the 2min 51sec class Glenmark Handicap. She set the pace until the last furlong then without being extended gave way to Falsehood. Her ability to begin quickly should place her at an advantage from the front mark in the Grey

Lynn Handicap at Auckland this week. This event is restricted to three and four-year-olds. The distance is one mile and a quarter and 100 yards. Arania is one of three three-year-olds in the field. The others are Yarki. which also starts from the limit, and Hautapu, on 36 yards. In Two Races

Aldora, which has been away from racing since November. 1956. is an acceptor for two races on Saturday night. In the two mile Franklin Handicap he will start from the 36 yard mark but is off the front in the Takanini Handicap which is run over a sprint distance.

Aldora showed outstanding form when last he raced. He was then a four-year-old. The previous season he had graduated through the slower classes fairly rapidly.

His first race at four was the Metropolitan Stakes at Addington. He finished third. The winner was False Step which has since won a New Zealand Trotting Cup. His first of two wins that season was in the Seafield Handicap at Ashburton. The minor placegetters that day were Glint and Lady Belmer, another pacer which has since made cup class. She and Aldora had both started from the limit. Aldora’s second win, at his next start, was in the Telegraph Handicap at Forbury Park. The runner-up. six lengths back, was Invicta. Unite, which two starts later won the Auckland Trotting Cup. beat Aldora by a neck in the Spring Handicap, two miles, at Addington in November. On the second day of the cup meeting Aldora was runner-up to False Step in the New Zealand Metropolitan Challenge Stakes, and the next day he was third to Lady Shona and Earl Marie in the November Handicap, one mile and five furlongs. Aldora was unplaced in the Flying Mile of the fourth day of that meeting. He has not raced since. Lack of recent racing might not prejudice Aldora’s chance at Auckland. He has thriv'd since being recommissioned and his recent work at New Brighton suggests that M. C. Flaws has him close to his best again. New Starter The Greymouth Trotting Club has appointed Mr I. E. Steel, of Greymouth, as its new starter. He succeeds Mr A. J. Hastings, who has been starter for the club for more than 30 years. Mr Steel will officiate for the first time at the club’s meeting at Labour week-end.

Mr Steel has been assistant to Mr Hastings for 18 years and has also acted as assistant starter for the Greymouth Jockey Club at Omoto for some years. As a tribute to the services of Mr Hastngs the club has decided to name one of its races the A. J. Hastings Handicap. Another new race on the programme will be the C. L. Kettle Memorial Handicap. This event will be named after a former owner-trainer-drivcr and official of the club, who died recently. Has Become Solid Clackmannan, decisive winner of the Oxford Handicap at New Brighton on Saturday, has become more solid with racing. Earlier in his career he had shown little aptitude either as a pacer or a trotter, but his most recent efforts suggest that there is now every possibility that he will eventually graduate to the best classes among the trotters. On breeding he should be good. He is a seven-year-old by Light Brigade out of an outstanding mare at the trotting gait, Acclamation.

In the Oxford Handicap Clackmannan was one of very few in the field which did not make mistakes. He was never further than seven places back from the leader. He was fourth as they straightened for the run home, challenged determinedly inside the last furlong, and was going away by two lengths and a half at the post. That was Clackmannan’s second win in his last five starts. One race before his previous win. at Nelson in June. Clackmannan had been first past the post in the Longbeach Handicap at Ashburton on Queen’s Birthdav, but was disqualified from that place for tangling a few strides before the finish

Clackmannan was bred by Messrs A. M. and R. J. Bruce, of Ashburton. Originally he was sold for 70gns. to Mr K. Hampton at a dispersal sale of the Bruce Brothers’ racing stock in 1957. He now races for Mr F. McGuigan and is trained for him by J. L. Behrns at Chertscy. Clamour, which finished fifth in the Oxford Handicap, is a full sister to Clackmannan. A six-vear-old. she was also bred by

Messrs A. M. and R. J. Bruce and is raced by them. Clackmannan will contest the Shirley Handicap on Saturday and he should be one of the hardest to beat. Prizes at Amberley The service fee to Johnny Globe for the owner gaining most points at the Amberley Trotting Club's matinee meeting last Saturday was won by Mr R. A. McKenzie. The whip for the trainer gaining most points was won by S. A. Edwards. CANTERBURY TROTTING OWNERS’ and BREEDERS’ ASSOCIATION’S TRIALS. Entries close Today (Thursday), September 17. at 5 p.m. —Advt.