TROTTING Stakes Up $ll50 At Metropolitan

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31770, 29 August 1968, Page 4

TROTTING Stakes Up $ll50 At Metropolitan

Stakes totalling $14,950 will be distributed at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s October meeting at Addington Raceway on Wednesday, October 30. This is an increase of $ll5O over the stakes distributed by the club when it last raced in October in 1966.

This is the first programme produced by the club since its president (Mr G. W. Blaxall) announced that stakes for the season would be increased by $17,000.

Stakes for three races are unchanged from 1966.

The Garden City Stakes, a race for four-year-olds which have won one and not more than three races at the time of handican, will again be worth $l2OO. There is one slight change in the conditions, the limit for the event being expressed as 2:19. This enables the club to circumvent a rule approved at the last annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference whereby all programmes have to include a race for 2:20, 2:19 or 2:18 class pacers. The Novice Stakes will again be run as two races, with the stake for each race unchanged at $BOO. These races cater for non-winning three-year-old pacers. The Oxford Handicap, catering for trotters assessed from 2:17 to 2:15, has had its stake increased by $lOO to $l3OO, and the same increase applies to the races for 2:15 class pacers and 2:16 class pacers.

The Hagley Park Handicap will cater for horses assessed at 2:12 and 2:11 and will give horses in the latter class one of their final chances to qualify for the New Zealand Cup on November 12. The stake for this race has been increased by $350 to $2750. Trotters assessed at 2:14 and faster will race over 10 furlongs in the Cambridge Handicap, which will carry a stake of $2250, $250 more than when the same classes raced over 13 furlongs in 1966. Restricted free-for-all conditions will apply to the October Stakes, which will cater for horses in 2:14 and 2:13. The stake is $250 greater than in the corresponding 2:14 and 2:13 class race in 1966. Unlucky Excuses could be offered

for a great many of the three-year-olds which failed to return a dividend in the Canterbury Stakes at Addington Raceway last Saturday. They included Intrepid, Sheer Delight and La Guardia, all of which should be early winners. None of them secured a clear run in the straight and they seemed to have plenty in reserve at the finish. At Kaiapoi The veteran trotter, Russell, is being prepared for a new campaign by P. K. Ryder at Kaiapoi. A 13-year-old gelding by Fourth Brigade from a fine trotting mare, Calumella, Russell recorded three placings last season, one of his best efforts being a close second to Le Chant in the Worthy Queen Handicap on New Zealand Cup day. All going well he will resume racing at the New Brighton meeting on Saturday week. Attraction Cardigan Bay’s efforts to become the first million dollar stake-winner in the history of trotting’are proving a tremendous boost to clubs able to attract the champion to their meetings. When Cardigan Bay raced at Brandywine on August 17 the course was packed by a record crowd of 16,003, about double the attendances on other nights of the week when the previous best was 9709 on Friday. The veteran Hal Tryax gelding finished fourth and advanced his winnings to more that $990,000. Bad Miss The three clubs racing at Addington Raceway missed out badly by not running a meeting on Saturday evening after the North Island-South Island Rugby match at Lancaster Park.. The New Brighton club could have brought

its spring meeting forward one week, and the New Zealand Metropolitan Club or Canterbury Park club could have used one of their permits. The possibility of a Rugby match being held on that day cannot have been considered when applications for dates for meetings were decided. In the past clubs racing after a major Rugby match have enjoyed cons’ 'l- - success. N.Z. Winners Several New Zealand-bred horses recorded wins in the United States during the week ended August 17. Balladeer (Flying Song-Deveron) won in 2min 4 l-ssec at Yonkers Raceway, while Elbee (Light Brigade-Beaudoro) won in 2min 5 2-ssec at Brandywine and Main Reason (Mdadow Chief-Initiate) won in 2min 7 2-ssec at Foxboro. During the same week they had five wins at Sportman’s Park Safe Return (Secure-Tery-lene) won in 2min 4sec, while Pleasant Lad (Flying SongAmity) won in 2min 4 4-sse, Seafield Prince (U. Scott-Jen-nifer) in 2min 2 2-ssec, Vai Averil (U. Scott-Lady Averil) in 2min 5 2-ssec, and City Command (Scottish Com-mand-City Girl) in 2mi 5 l-ssec. New Quarters Royal Court and Great Faith will do tbeir racing this season from M. M. Purdon’s stables at Springston. Royal Court will race in the interests of Mesdames H Butcher and C. Hall, of Christchurch. He has shown useful form at the trotting gait. Great Faith is a four-year-old by Caduceus from Foilight, th'e dam of Speedlight. Saladin, which showed promise last season, is to resume racing shortly. The four-year-old by Sally Boy could develoo worthwhile staying form this season. Super Joe and a number of unraced horses, including a two-year-old half-brother by Killarney Hal to Scottish Laddie, and Julie Hanover and others complete the team.