TROTTING Offers For Caduceus Found “Not Tempting”

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29250, 7 July 1960, Page 4

TROTTING Offers For Caduceus Found “Not Tempting”

The future of the champion pacer Caduceus is still uncertain, according to his part-owner, Mr Dudley Moore. “I never advertised the horse for sale at any stage. There were some offers made but none was tempting enough,” said Mr Moore on his arrival back yesterday after six weeks in the United States.

Mr Moore was naturally disappointed with .the disqualification of his pacer in the last heat and Said he did not think the interference was worthy of such a heavy penalty. He believes if the same interference had occurred in a New Zealand race the heaviest penalty would have been a severe reprimand to the driver with a possible chance of a small suspension. He has no doubts that'the finish was a deadheat, although many critics over there declared Caduceus had. won. “Caduceus never quite, reached his New Zealand peak of fitness overseas,” Mr Moore said yesterday. “He was well enough, but that sharpness was not there. He was more than a little unlucky in the second heat.” Not Impressed The American style of racing with a limit field of eight horses and over the same distance (one mile) each time would not appeal to people over here, Mr Moore said. The same pattern of racing was seen all the time, and after approximately six weeks of racing almost every night Mr Moore said he had seen enough of their trotting for a lifetime. Some of the top-line horses in the States were in a field of their own. he said, and the junior free-for-all candidates there would be better than most of ours. After that they would be on a par. “The trotting horses are well above New Zealand’s best and they are truly champions,” he said.

The Yonkers track was good with a fair straight but the bends were quite sharp. Mr Moore could not give enough praise to the American public who, he feels, would like to have seen Caduceus win.

Officials on all sides went out of their way to make his visit a pleasant and memorable one. “Caduceus added another 11,250 dollars to his mountain of stakes but taxation will get a decent bite out of that, “In fact the’ taxation question will be the big problem if owners expect to take horses to the States,” he said. "And another thing, all race winnings are taxable and since it is almost 30 per cent you can see it creates quite a problem.” Being the owner of Caduceus Mr Moore was quite a prominent personality and was twice interviewed on television. The heats of the racing were also televised on a taped programme. Mr Moore took advantage of his presence In the United States to attend the world championship boxing match and said there was no doubt as to the better boxer. Caduceus’s trainer-driver, Jack Latten, is at present on a tour.