Electronic timing for Ashburton

Press, 5 March 1988, Page 30

Electronic timing for Ashburton

By

JEFF SCOTT

Although too late to have the placed:sub,2:oo mile times of last Saturday’s Ashburton Breeders’ Stakes officially recognised. the Ashburton Trotting Club will be moving with the time! for] its Queen’s Birthday meeting in June. j ; "Sooner or later we are going to have j a horse break 3:00 for the mobile 2400 metres around here, and to save any speculation we are going to install electronic timing for the June meeting,” said the club’s secretary, Mr Trevor Robertson.

“There is virtually no cost for standing, starts and only minor cost to have it installed for mobiles. It is inborporated into the same (equipment as the photo finish,” said Mr Robertson. I

"However, our per-day costs will increase by around $l5O a meeting,” he said. The New Zealand Harness Racing Conference only recognise electronically timed miles and to this end the ! Ashburton club had used: temporary electronic timing for the winner only in its mile racing over the last two years. I Those owners with sub 2:00 placed Tillies and mares at Ashburton have been cheated out of official records fqr stud purposes, but will be among the first to congratulate the club on its latest move. ,

With New , Brighton changing the i distance of its feature mile to 2000 m this season, the way looks clear for the Ashburton club for changing the conditions of the (Breeders’ Stakes to an open mile. With the Auckland Cup reverting back to (Decem-

ber, there is a big gap between races for the Cup horses at this time of year and an open mile around the fast Ashburton Raceway looks a real possibility. Pat O'Reilly jun., the trainer of open-class pacers, Skipper Dale and Rostriever Hanover, would like to see some of the South Island clubs instigate smaller stake penalty — free races for the best horses.

'There is too big a gap between races now fqr this class of horse. They could keep the penalty races for the bigger stake races and run races up to perhaps $lO,OOO penaltyfree. It might get more people along to the races too,” he said. If New Zealand pacers are to stay in contact with their Australian counterparts in future InterDominions, then these horses must have more racing. Floyd sold The consistent Greenpark pacer, Floyd, and the promising Willowby, gelding, Mark My Boy,: have been sold to separate overseas interests.

) Floyd, a decisive winner of the Nelson Cup in track record time! at the end of January, flew out of New Zealand headed for New York last week. I The Nordel Skipper (entire proved a useful moneyspinner for ( his owners, Paul Hadfield ((who trained him) and breeder Ken Chapman, earning $40,950 from (five wins, 12 seconds and 13 thirds in 64 New Zealand starts. ! : j One of Floyd’s best efforts this term was :a second to Rostriever Han-

Over at the Addington National meeting when he returned 3:16.38 for the mobile 2600 metres.

( (Mark My Boy, the (winner of three of his last five starts from Doody and Kevin Townley's stables, has been purchased by Queensland’s (Tony Price, who races ' Happy Sunrise and Hyper- ‘ stat from Stuart Hunter’s Brisbane team?

I I The five-year-old . gelded son of Mark Lobell ! and Lady Jess was raced ( by a Westport trainer, ' Keith Powell, and Kevin Townley for three wins in ! 12 starts. He was a winner i over mobile 2000 m at 1 Addington in January in a : (2:3.1 mile rate and should ' be suited by racing at Queensland’s speed track, Albion Park.

( The sales of Floyd and Mark My Boy, along with ‘that of the maidens, Back Again a 2400 m mobile qualifier ■at Ashburton four weeks ago in 3:6.1, to Perth interests, and Noble Lumber, a recent Methven qualifier, to Sydney interests, were negotiated by Kevin Townley. Early winner Richard Brosnan looks to have an early Co-class winner in Stunning, after his impressive winning run at the Ashburton trials on Thursday. The four-year-old brother to Cuddle Me Doo (2:00), and half-brother to Bahrein (1:53.8) and Derby, was stood down in August after a poor beginning at Addington, but never put a foot wrong on Thursday, leading throughout. The Noodlum gelding was travelling well at the finish after sprinting his closing 800 m in 58.85, and taking 3:11 for the full 2400 m from a stand.