Special Gear On Visiting Pacer

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31595, 5 February 1968, Page 14

Special Gear On Visiting Pacer

“The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND.

Special gear worn by the Australian pacer, Lord Setay, in a free-for-all at Alexandra Park on Saturday will have to be approved by the chief stipendiary steward (Mr L. A. Butterfield) before it can be used at the Inter-Dominion Championships, which will open next Saturday.

Good Stay is prone to breaking at the start and he races with what his trainer-driver, R. R. Benger, calls a hopple shortener. This tightens the hopples at the start. Once the horse is away and settled down the driver uses a release cord to let the hopples out to their normal length.

panying the carrots read

"From Damian and Guiseppe." Mr Barrett owns Damian and Guiseppe, which won heats of the Inter-Dominion Championships at Addington (1961) and Harold Park (1960) respectively.

It Is common In Australia, according to Benger, and helps horses which, ordinarily, are not good beginners. Mr H. C. Fryer passed the gear on Saturday, but said that its use on Lord Setay at the championships would have to be approved by Mr Butterfield. Lord Setay began well, but drifted early and was a fair way back with three furlongs to go. A little further on. he was lucky to avoid a smash in which Thunder Royal fell. Lord Setay had a poor run from the homo turn, but he was running on strongly, a handy eighth. Benger said he was more than pleased. "It was his first real run for a month and the first time he has raced righthanded. He handled the bends very well and the run will do him a lot of good.’’ He will take Lord Setay to Cambridge for the Matamata Club’s equalisator meeting tomorrow night. Although he did not finish tn the money, Lord Setay earned a special prize—a sack of carrots. They were presented by Mr L. J. R. Barrett, a member of the committee of the Auckland Trotting Club,’ after a report that they were the horse's favourlte "dish." A card accoiq-

P. Coulson Suspended

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright)

SYDNEY. The New South Wales Trotting Club stewards last night suspended P. Coulson for three months for careless driving. Coulson was suspended after an adjourned inquiry into interference in the Summer Cup at Harold Park on January 26. Before suspending Coulson last night, Stewards saw the official film of the race.

The film showed Binshaw jostling Halwes for almost a furlong in the first lap. Later in the race Binshaw jostled Cardinal Bruce, forcing that horse wider.

Coulson’s suspension means he will be unable to drive his two horses at the Inter-Dom-inion Championship series at Auckland.

Coulson’s horses are Binshaw and Blue Pennant. Binshaw won last year’s Inter-Dominion final at Gloucester Park, Perth. Western Australian punters have backed him heavily to win this year’s championship.