TROTTING P.T. Wolfenden Will Head List For Third Season

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 5

TROTTING P.T. Wolfenden Will Head List For Third Season

Although the season in the North Island will finish with the Auckland meeting on Saturday, P. T. Wolfenden looks certain to top the list of successful drivers for the third consecutive season. Wins behind Wipe Out and Hi Mundy at Alexandra Park on Saturday brought Wolfenden’s total for the season to 56, two more than the total with which he headed the list in the previous two seasons.

Wolfenden at present has a lead of 22 over M. Holmes, who has seven meetings at which he can drive before the season ends in the South Island.

Wolfenden’s total has been exceeded only by M. Holmes, who created a record with 67 wins in 1954-55, and equalled it in 1959-60. Holmes also drove 62 winners in 196364.

Wolfenden, who is in his mid-thirties, has now driven 474 winners in New Zealand, and should be untroubled to top the 1000 mark long be-

fore he reaches the age of 50. Holmes has been driving with all the skill which has enabled him to top the list on 16 occasions, the first being in 1930-31. However, many of the stables which have provided him with so many of his wins in recent years have had smaller teams than usual. Holmes is certain to increase his total in the next month, and will probably retain second place on the list.

R. Young, who missed valuable opportunities as the result of injuries suffered in a race fall towards the end of November, has done well to retain third position, with 29 wins. Until he was injured it looked quite possible that i Young would go close to topping the list for a first time, i

D. C. Watts, too, has enjoyed a successful season with 27 wins, one in front of T. H. Knowles, who is at present in the United States. Sixth Place J. A. Carmichael is in sixth position with 25 wins, two more than A. K. Holmes, who is followed by .1. Butcher, D. IG. Jones, and D. J. Townley, , with 22. The last-named has idone well to finish's© high on the list as he, too, missed valuable racing for about; three months from the start of November through injuries suffered in a race accident at Kaikoura. The Southland reihsman, H. W. Skinner, and J. B. Noble, at present in Sydney, have each had 21 wins, and are followed by C. B. Chandler, with 18: K. Balloch and F. E. Newfield, 17; C. C. Devine, E. F. D. Harding, G. Holmes, R. P. Nyhan, and J. W. Smolensk!. 15: W. R .Butt, 14: J. 1.. Behms, 13: W. E. Lowe, 12: D. N. Hayes, D. Mangos, and D. D. Nyhan, 11; and A. W. Cox, 10. R. Young, in spite of a lay-off of at least two months because of injury, has a clear lead on the list of drivers of winners of races for trotters. He has had 11 wins in this section, three more than M. Holmes. Third place, with seven wins, is shared by J. Butcher and D. G. Jones. Then, with six wins, come J. A. Carmichael, E. F. D. .Harding, R. Mitchell, jun., D. J. Townley, and P. T. Wolfenden. Trainers G. B. Noble, who is at pre-1 sent campaigning Garcon j Roux and Bonnie Frost in, Sydney, looks almost certain ! to top the list of successful trainers for the second time, the other being 1964-65, when members of his team had 39 wins. This season his team has had 30 wins. At present the team is being trained by D. Mangos. It is unlikely that Noble will be back before the end of the season. At the moment Noble has a lead of nine over the Pukekohe trainer, R. Purdon, who is one in front of the Templeton trainer, W. R. Butt, who has headed the list on sixoccasions. C. S. Donald, who has headed the list on nine occasions, is in fourth place with 18 wins, followed by J Grant and D. G Jones, with 17. The last-named nair headed the list in 1965-66. C. C. Devine and L. H. Tilson have each had 15 wins, the last-named having enjoyed a remarkably successful season with the small

f team he trains at Balclutha. This has been headed by the > outstanding mare Stella s Frost, with nine wins. t C. V. May has had 14 wins t and is followed by J. A. Car- , michael, C. S. Hunter, J. L. i Behrns, W. E. Lowe and N. ) F. White, with 13; D. J. Townt ley, J. K. Hughes and L. .1. 5 Bayer, J. W. Smolensk!, R. L. i Tatterson, L. F. Norman, and » D. J. Townley, 12; J. Butcher, - A. K. Holmes, R. P. Norton, i D. G. Nyhan, and P. T. Wolfenden, 11; and H. W. - Cox, T. H. Knowles and A. M. - Purdon, 10.