TROTTING NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 115, 18 May 1927, Page 9

TROTTING NOTES

(BY "VEX

The acceptances .received for the Oamaru • Trotting ; Club 'a Meeting once again demonstrate ..the popularity of the'light-harness game.in North Otago. For a 'one-day < fixture in this, the offseason, they are particularly numerous. The class as disclosed is ■ naturally not particularly high, ,but. there may be a Great Bingen amongst them, for all that. Backers on the course will be indulging in- a wild■■ gamble, so that stay-at-home/.investors have a hopeless task. .■••". ■ . ••' ••'.'-•.

The American stallion Brigand, who came to New Zealand with a great reputation as a trotter, is,now being worked, with hopples; on. :He was a complete ' failure free-legged.

.'The two-year-old brother to Great Bingen, Peter Bingen; and Great Peter, has: done particularly well at New Brighton, says a Christchureh exchange. He*has. putvon condition, and is commencing to furnish into a nice colt. He does not exhibit-as much fire as Great Bingen did when he was'a two-year-old, but,aside from that feature of his character, the colt is' very much like his champion relation.

The Canterbury Owners' and Breeders' Association has a number of suggestions which it. desires various clubs to. forward as remits at the next conference. Two of; them apply vto handicapping, and •in effect they would be a hindrance and'niost undesirable, especially ono in which' track conditions would not ■ be permitted to be consid-or'ed-by any'handicapper. It is just common-sense that on ideal days a horse can,go faster than in wet and muddy weather. Another idea is to have an 11-stone minimum in- harness races. This is- : not likely to be taken seriously. A. G.. Wilson now has tho pacer Away under his charge. ■ The Southland.er broke. down prior to the last New Zealand Cup, .and nothing has been. done with him since then. His foreleg now: appears to be fairly sound arid E. C. M'Dormott wishes to give Away every chance. To this end he has sent him to the New Brightontrainer, who will, give-him plenty of «ea'' water and slow jogging. The spoil seems •to have done Away a lot of good, as he has built up into a solid and powerful 1 horse." ; It ie to bo hoped he stands up to his work, as ho is a rare good two-miler. '

The Australian pacer Machine Gun is building up well in condition. "When he was brought ySouth- by E. B. Berry last February he was very light, although he won the chief event at the Timaru Trotting Club's Meeting soon afterwards. Machine Gun has not done much hard 'Work since, and he is looking much' better.

A couple of ■ months back it was reported that an Auckland owner was negotiating ■ for the purchase of the pacer Western' King, considered one of the' best, now racing in Australia, but the prico then, asked did not lead to business. However, there is still a chance of the horse coining this way, as J. Shaw last week lpf t for Sydney to try and effect his purchase. Western King's best .performance is 4.32 for two miles registered at Epping early in the year, and for which he earned his owner a: stake of -£120. The stakes in Australia, . with, the exception of a couple off/events, are so small during the season ■ that one wonders why any real good.horses remain there. However, when-Auto. Machine can win his division; in a Sydney-Thousand from 60 yards behind it would appear there are not many good pacers across the other side. . •

■When the.Auckland and Otahuhu Trotting,. Clubs decided when drawing up their, programmes for'the present season to cut out.Free For Alls, the action in many quarters, .and particularly in the South Island, came in for some strong comment, says the Auckland"Star.V . However, the experience of the'two biggest clubs in the North" Island. had given ,■ no encouragement to stage any-further, con tests of the kind, and in place of Free For Alls, races of a.mile and a mile and a quarter ; with very tight'limits were put on. These proved much niore satisfactory in every way, and; it is interesting to note, that the Greymouth Trotting Club has decided to follow the action of the Auckland clubs and cut, out the Free For All, replacing it-with a short limit handicap. Whether the Northland Club will again.stage a Free For All remains to be seen, but at the meeting in January the contest was not such as.to raise any great excitement. Certainly three good horses in Great Bingen, Prince i Pointer ..and Imprint went to the. post, but- Imprint was obviously out of form and was outclassed, while Great-Bingen had no difficulty in defeating Prince Pointer. The amount invested on'the totalisator was not sufficient to buy a. ' decent second-hand piano, and was, in fact, very disappointing. A short limit handicap event wonld have been ■ much more satisfactory in every way.