TROTTING Scottish Command And Ordeal Off On Monday

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29717, 10 January 1962, Page 5

TROTTING Scottish Command And Ordeal Off On Monday

Ordeal and Scottish Command will leave Auckland next Monday by ship for Los Angeles, where they are expected to arrive towards the end of the month. Scottish Command will be in the care of his trainer, J. S. Hunter, while Ordeal’s trainer, W. A. Bradley, will be in charge of her. Both horses had their last race starts in New Zealand at the Cambridge Trotting Club’s meeting last Saturday.

Ordeal showed that she had thrived since she won two races at Auckland last month. She gave away starts of up to 60 yards and a sound beating to her rivals in the McMillan Handicap. She raced round the whole field in the back straight and shared the lead with Rascal turning for home. Ordeal raced right away from her rivals over the final furlong and she was under a strong hold at the post where she had an advantage of four lengths over Rascal. Ordeal trotted the 10 furlongs in 2min 41 l-ssec, an outstanding effort on a slow track. Her time was 1 2-ssec faster than that recorded by Fitment when he beat Cardigan Bay in the New Year Handicap. Ordeal, a 10-year-old mare by Light Brigade from Arizona, will have unlimited opportunities in the United States. If she travels well and comes up as well as she has been in the last three months, she should show to advantage against all but the best horses of her gait in the United States. She has been one of the most brilliant trotters raced in New Zealand in recent years and at her peak she was well ahead of her rivals over all distances. She has almost rewritten the record book for trotters in the last 18 months. She holds records of 2min 37 2-ssec for 10 furlongs, 2min 56 2-ssec for 11 furlongs, 3min 12 l-ssec for 12 furlongs, and 4min 14sec for two miles. Altogether, Ordeal has had 47 starts for 17 wins and 10 placings worth £10,655 in

Races In March Scottish Command is raced by Mr R. A. McKenzie, of Wellington, who has enjoyed considerable success in the United States with the U. Scott mare, Arania. Scottish

Command will enter the stables of S. Dancer on his arrival in the United States and he might have his first race there towards the end of march. Scottish Command has been one of the most successful pacers raced in New Zealand in recent years. However, luck has seldom been with him when he has been brought to Addington and most of his wins have been gained in the North Island. Scottish Command is an eight-year-old stallion by U. Scott from Mary Wootton. He has thrived on a strenuous racing career, during which he has had 114 starts for 16 wins and 48 placings worth £17,480 in stakes. Scottish Command had his final race in New Zealand in the New Year Handicap at the Cambridge meeting on

; Saturday. He did not re- ; ceive a good run and did i well to finish seventh after . starting from the back mark of 18 yards. Earler on the trip Scottish Command paced an outstanding race to finish a close fourth in the Auckland Cup. That race took its toll and he was a jaded horse for the Champion Handicap on the second night of the meeting. Scottish Command is a grand type of pacer. He is usually a reliable beginner and he should handle the mobile starts in the United States without difficulty. He : might find it hard to mea- ■ sure up to the best pacing classes, but he will have numerous opportunities to race for rich stakes in junior free-for-all events and other races for horses rated a little below the best.