Sulky widths causing trouble

Press, 21 February 1986, Page 24

Sulky widths causing trouble

PA Wellington The lack of a standard width for sulkies is contributing to interference in trotting races, according to John Noble, a pastpresident of the New’Zealand Trotting Trainers’ and Drivers’ Association. “I think they should all be modified to be the ame width. We have had trouble with it before and it will continue unless something is done,” he said at the Wellington Trotting Club meeting at Hutt Park on Wednesday evening. In the first heat of the Bayer Spotton Graduation Series the favourite, Entrancing, trained and driven by Noble, was involved in interference in the home straight and consequently was unluckily beaten into seventh. Noble said that the situation was not helped when he could not clear a horse on his inside which was being driven in a sulky that carried the Continental brand name. Back at the stables it was found the Continental sulky had a width of 1.3 m. A sulky similar to Nobler measured 1.22 m. ' Noble drives a Bryant sulky which is produced in Christchurch and is recognised as the top

timber sulky. The Continental, made of aluminium,is manufactured in Auckland and is apparently styled on toe American racing cart. There is nothing illegal about the Continental sulky. It conforms — exactly — to toe minimum width allowed by toe New Zealand Trotting Conference and Noble is not necessarily . blaming manufacturers.

“Maybe the Bryant’s should have been wider. I don’t know how we are going to solve this one,” said Noble.

The president of toe New Zealand Trotting Conference, Mr Dewar Robertshaw, said from Auckland that if Mr Noble wished to bring toe matter up at conference level he was sure it would be discussed. As a result of toe interference, the Palmerston North trainer-driver, Stephen Doody, was suspended from driving up to and including March 1.

It was found that Doody, the driver of Bella Micron, had caused interference to Betina Afella, which in turn checked Entrancing with about 100 m to run. Bella Micron went on to finish second but was subsequently disqualified.