TROTTING CADUCEUS TO MEET TOP PACERS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29219, 1 June 1960, Page 4

TROTTING CADUCEUS TO MEET TOP PACERS

Start Of Yonkers Series

Caduceus, from New Zealand, and Fettle, from Australia, will meet a field of world-class pacers in the first of the international pacing series to be run over one mile and a half at Yonkers Raceway, New York, on June 2. The race will be run in the middle of the afternoon on Friday, New’ Zealand time.

According to a report published yesterday morning, one of the leading trainers and drivers in the United States, Eddie Cobb, said he felt Caduceus would be capable of pacing close to the world record of 3min 4 2-ssec for one mile and a half established by Adios Harry. Caduceus at present holds a w’orld race record of 3min 4 2-ssec for this distance established at Addington in 1955.

The mile and a half distance in this week’s race is expected to suit Caduceus and Fettle better than some of their United States end Canadian rivals, but lack of actual race experience in the United States could tell against them.

Also, both horses have been in work for the New Zealand and Australian racing seasons for about 10 months and since then they have had but odd respites. While their Northern Hemisphere rivals were being prepared for the current season in the United States. Caduceus and Fettle were at their peak for the InterDominion Championship series run at Harold Park in January and February of this year. Both Fettle and Caduceus have had a month to become acclimatised in New York. Even so, their trainers will be lucky to have them right at their best for this week’s race.

Fine Performances

The four United States horses in this week’s race have outstanding records. Bye Bye Byrd, the early favourite for the race in spite of drawing the outside barrier position, is a five-year-old horse by Poplar Byrd, which took a record of Imin 59 3-ssec for one mile, from Evalina Hanover (Imin 59 l-ssec), by Billy Direct, which took a record of Imin 55sec. Bye Bye Byrd recorded two minutes or better for one mile on seven occasions last season. Until this season he had equalled or broken two minutes on 14 occasions, six of them being on half-mile tracks, a record for any horse in the United States. He also holds a record of Imin 57 2-ssec for a half-mile track.

Last season Bye Bye Byrd created a record in stake-earn-ings for a single season of 212,172 dollars. Altogether his earnings now exceed 350,000 dollars.

Bye Bye Byrd has not only shown brilliant speed over one mile, but he has 2min 32 2-ssec to his credit over one mile and a quarter, this time being recorded when he finished second to Speedy Pick in the National Pacing Derby at Roosevelt Raceway.

Widower Creed, is a seven-year-old stallion by Jimmy Creed <lmin 59 2-ssec) from Bertha Dale, by The Widower, which took a record of Imin 59Jsec as a three-year-old. Widower Creed, with Imin 57 l-ssec to his credit, had a faster time to his credit for one mile at the end of last season than any of the other horses engaged in the international series. Widower Creed recorded two minutes or faster on four occasions last season.

Earlier this season he recorded Imin 56 4-ssec on a mile track at Santa Anita. He won at four of his first five starts, being beaten once by Bye Bye Byrd, which he has subsequently beaten. Last season he earned 140,743 dollars, while his total winnings are little below those of Bye Bye Byrd. He finished a good third to Bye Bye Byrd and O’Brien Hanover in the U.S-A. Test Free-for-all at Yonkers Raceway last week. Track Record Speedy Pick has a record of Imin 58 4-ssec for one mile and 2min 32 l-ssec for one mile and a quarter. His mile time is the present track record for Yonkers Raceway, where he bettered two minutes on three occasions last season. He has won about 290,000 dollars. ' i Speedy Pick had his first start for the season at Yonkers last week when he finished fifth in the race won by Bye Bye Byrd. He was two-fifths of a second behind the winner, which suggests that he is close to his peak. Speedy Pick is a seven-year-old gelding by Attorney, which took a record of 2min 3sec as a three-year-old, from Noon Rush (Imin 59’sec). O’Brien Hanover, which was invited to compete in the series after finishing second to Bye Bye| Byrd last week, is a five-year-old stallion by Tar Heel, which took; a record of Imin 57sec, from] Ormonda Hanover. His fastest: time for one mile is 2min 1 2-ssecl and his stake-earnings amount to | about 180.000 dollars. He is described as a rugged 1 pacer with great stamina. The 121 furlongs in this week's race and the 10 furlongs in the race a week later are expected to suit him best. The two Canadian representa-j tives have outstanding records.] Champ Volo and Mighty Dudley are claimed to be the two fastest horses ever 4 raced in their country. Champ Volo won over one mile and a quarter at Blue Bonnets Raceway, Montreal. 10 days ago; in the third race of the special Canadian elimination series. He recorded 2min 37 <Jssec for the distance on a track affected by rain. Mighty Dudley finished second, two lengths behind the winner. Champ Volo, a six-year-old son of Henry Volo, has no very fast times to' his credit, his best being 2min 0 3-ssec recorded last season when he won about 50,000 dollars. However, Canadian tracks are regarded as several seconds slower to the mile than the fast surfaces in the United States. Mighty Dudley set a new Canadian record for a half-mile track of Imin 59 3-ssec last season. He has had only three

races so far this season and has improved at each appearance. His connexions hope for further improvement before the Yonkers series.

Placed In U.S.

Mighty Dudley has raced in the United States and last season he was beaten by a nose by Bye Bye Byrd at Batavia Downs, recording Imin 59 2-ssec for the mile.

Mighty Dudley is a five-year-old stallion by Dudley Hanover (Imin 57 4-ssec) from Pronto Mite, by Volomite, one of the greatest sires in the history of trotting. The performances of the horses opposing Caduceus and Fettle in this week’s race show that they are among the leading pacers in the world. Fettle will be hard put to match most of them for brilliance, but his racing in Australia has been marked by great gameness and superb displays of stamina. Horses do not race in such tight-packed fields in the United States as in Australia and New Zealand and this style of racing should suit Fettle, an eight-year-old stallion by the Tasmanian sire, Raglo. Fettle and Caduceus, a nine-year-old, are the oldest horses in the Yonkers series, but age has had little bearing on the brilliant performances of Caduceus this season. His racing in New Zealand and Australia was better than at any other stage of his career. If he is paraded anywhere near the high peak of fitness he reached when he w«n the £12.800 Grand Final of the Inter-Dominion Championship series at Harold Park in February last, he is certain to offer stern opposition to the Canadian and United States horses, particularly in the first two races over 12 and 10 furlongs.