Young horses raise hopes of resurgence of trotting

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32998, 18 August 1972, Page 9

Young horses raise hopes of resurgence of trotting

The outstanding success of several youngsters last season, and the introduction of trotting sires, has enlivened interest in straight-out trotters after a downward trend in some recent seasons.

Most of the top trotters are well into the “aged” bracket, and a gap had developed in the middle classes. With very few horses of marked ability available to replace them the gait might have been further downgraded. However, several of the younger horses have won many races in the last two seasons, and the ranks of open-class trotters may not suffer to the extent that had been predicted. The ranks of aged trotters provided 13 of the 16 acceptors for the New Zealand Trotting Championship, one of the last major races for open-class trotters last season, at Addington Raceway on April 1. Of these, several are unlikely to complete another season. W. R. Butt’s pair, Johnny Gee and Tony Bear, will start stud careers soon: Light View has been retired; and Logan Count has been sold to the United States.

Others, including Black Frost, Marius, Precocious,

Johnny Fling, and Mighty Chief are all about 10 and must have very limited racing ahead of them. Bambi, Philemon, the promising five - year - old. Good Admiral, and Al Mundy are the only “younger” trotters in commission with worth-while recent form. Efforts made by clubs, particularly the Canterbury Park Trotting Club, to stage races for young trotters could not be bearing results at a better time. Youngsters are able to earn good stakes without receiving any penalty, and this has obviously encouraged many owners to breed trotters. This will benefit trotting in future seasons. Mr L. S. Smart, a former president of Canterbury Park, is mainly responsible for the club’s support for trotters. Last season, as it had in the past, the club staged three $5OO races for young trotters. The club also stages many good stakes races for middle-class trotters as well as those in open class. The gap which exists between the age groups was probably caused when many American horses were imported. Few were renowned for leaving trotters. The three very successful sires of trotters, Light Brigade, Johnny Globe and U. Scott, are now off the scene, and most of the leading trotters in recent years have been sired by Fallacy, Court Martial, and Forward (all by Light Brigade) and Great Evander, by Bill B. Several of these stallions are now restricted in their breeding. Nearly all are at least 20, and their days as useful sires must be numbered. With the arrival of Tuft, whose success has been outstanding, and the availability of other trotting stallions, including Perfecto Hanover, Rodney Day and Game Pride, there seems certain to be a continued upsurge in the number of young trotters bred in the next few seasons. Tuft, which is already firmly established as a sire, traces back through Volornite and Peter Volo to Peter the Great, which plays a leading role in the sire line of Light Brigade and U. Scott. Tuft’s progeny last season included the champion Hocquard, the ill-fated Black Miller, Castleton’s Pride, Pompano, a consistent place-getter at both

gaits, and a recent winner at Rangiora, and Edis Nova. He also sired the very successful New South Wales youngster Repentant Leisure, a half-sister to the outstanding trotter, Tutira, and Tuffarin, the top twoyears old trotter in New South Wales. Hocquard established himself as the best juvenile seen for many years in the south with five wins and $3300 in stakes, and an additional $5OO earned for winning a match race against Brigevander at Addington in May. He has recently been sold at one of the highest prices ever for a trotter in New Zealand and he will do little more racing in this country. Brigevander, which holds the New Zealand two-mile record for a three-year-old trotter (4.24 3-5) is by Great Evander, from the Light Brigade mare Shirley Brigade. The winner of five races and $3735 in stakes, Brigevander was easily the leading juvenile trotter in the north last season. Black Miller, like Hocquard, was trained at West Melton by J. D. Litten, from whose stable he won three races, including the New Zealand Trotting Stakes, and $3340 in stakes before being accidentally killed by an electric shock. Castleton’s Pride, by Tuft

from Castleton’s Queen, performed very well last season, winning three times and being placed in his only other four starts for $2170’ in stakes. His best run was probably his first, when he finished gamely, for second, behind Black Miller in the Trotting Stakes. Castellon’s Queen’s dam is Highland Gift, a Highland Kilt mare. Highland Kilt was a champion trotter and a brother to the mighty Highland Fling. Good Admiral (GoodlandBonny Rachael) has built an impressive record in the last two seasons and is one of the few to graduate to open class at four years. From his six starts as a three-year-old Good Admiral won the Trotting Stakes and the Canterbury Park Conference Handicap, a race won by Hocquard last season. Last season, from 12 starts, he won six times and was placed twice for $6BOO. His total stake earnings are nearly $B5OO. Well above average. Good Admiral, which has had six of his wins at Addington Raceway, will be a strong addition to the top trotting company. Good Admiral’s sire, Goodland, was also sire of the outstanding Westland King, which is now at stud.

Butch Cassidy, one of the few trotters sired so far by Armbro Del, won two non-totalisator races at Canterbury Park as a two-year-old. Last season he won another two races and although his form dropped away, he could soon easily return to his previous good form.

Edis Nova, which raced at Rangiora at the end of the season and finished a game second to Pompano, won three non-totalisator races for two-year-olds in stylish fashion. When she finished fourth at Motukarara in a trial race over a mile and a half she was credited with a time of 3:27 3-5, about 12 seconds inside the New Zealand record for a trotter of her age.

One of Tuft’s second crop and from the Meadow Chief mare, Wavering Downs, Edis Nova, which is raced by her breeder Mr L. O. 'Wheeler and her trainer, F. L. Holmes, is being taken along slowly. She can be expected to win many races this season. Mighty Return, a member of L. R. Clark’s Greenpark team, Main Chance, a Rodney Day gelding in B. J. Anderson’s stables, Royalty, and Hana Kowhai are other youngsters to show enough ability to ensure the future of trotting.