TROTTING New Records Could Be Set On Saturday

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31378, 25 May 1967, Page 4

TROTTING New Records Could Be Set On Saturday

Given reasonable track and atmospheric conditions patrons could see two New Zealand records broken at the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s winter meeting at Addington Raceway on Saturday. The chances of securing ideal conditions for recordbreaking are not bright, but is is quite possible that they will be good enough for new figures to be obtained.

An even field of eight will contest the Canterbury Park Stakes over 10 furlongs. Ordeal, which returned 2min 37 2-ssec in 1960, holds’ the present New Zealand record from a standing start. Asia Minor holds the record from a flying start at 2min 37sec. time he returned in 1966.

Asia Minor is in the field for Saturday's race, which has also drawn such outstanding performers as Mighty Chief, Le Chant, Break Through, Glen Dee, Harbour Light and Uteena. The only runner unlikely to be taken very seriously on Saturday is Marshella, which has raced rather disappointingly lately. The Canterbury Park Stakes Is the first leg of the T.A.B. double. Mighty Chief will no doubt be a commanding favourite after his outstanding wins at Forbury Park at his most recent starts.

On the first night of the meeting he beat Le Chant by a head in the Dunedin Handicap, recording the record time of 2min 56 l-ssec for the 11 furlongs. He met Le Chant on level terms and just lasted for his win. On Saturday they meet on the same terms and there might not be much between them once more.

However, Mighty Chief is expected to be a better horse at Addington than he was at Dunedin as he has never been a very good traveller. A week later Le Chant was not in the field and Mighty Chief gave away starts of up to 36 yards and a six-length beating to a useful field in the Railway Handicap, run over 13 furlongs and 108 yards. If Mighty Chief races as well as he did in that event, he should be much too good for the majority of this field. Holds Record On paper Lo/dship looks a certainty in the Champion Mile, which was apparently the reason why the club changed the order of the last two races so that the second leg of the main double would be run on the Peninsula Stakes.

Lordship holds the New Zealand race record for one mile from a flying start of Imin 58 2-ssec, established at the Northland Trotting Club’s meeting at Auckland earlier in the year. Lordship has not raced since the Manawatu meeting on April 18 when he finished second to Great Adios at the end of a slowrun mile.

Lordship will be hard pressed to create a new record at Addington at this time of the year, but he could well record the fastest race mile ever on the course. The first

time two minutes was broken in a race on the course was in 1957 when Tactician won in Imin 59 4-ssec. This time was equalled in 1965 when Robin Dundee won at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s Easter meeting.

If any of his rivals prove capable of applying pressure to Lordship over the first six furlongs, a sub-two-minute mile should be within his capabilities on Saturday. Buchanan is one runner expected to be capable of extending Lordship. The son of Captain Adios and Bonny Heather recorded 2min 3-ssec when he won by two lengths

from Friendly Tom in the Flying Mile st the Canterbury Park meeting on February 11 last Such a run was outstanding for a horse in Buchanan's class.

Buchanan has often paced his best races when fresh. He has not started since March 25 when he paced a rather disappointing race at Addington Raceway. Disband recorded 2min 2 3-ssec when she finished third to Golden Oriole and Lordship on January 2. She has done little racing since then and had to miss the recent Forbury Park meeting when she injured a foot. At her best Disband would be a distinct possibility, but lack of racing might tell against her if the pace is a hot one.

Master Alan looks better placed here than he has been for some time. He could still be capable of a merry mile and might prove capable of extending Lordship and Buchanan.