TROTTING BREVITIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 61, 9 September 1937, Page 13

TROTTING BREVITIES

i -Gold Dredge met with a slight accident before the Auckland Meeting and was not seen, at her best there. Colonel Grattan • was the popular pick for the Belfast Handicap at New Brighton, but after being prominent to the straight finished outside a place. He.may do better when acting on a firm track. ;\ ' It is very rare to hear of a trottingbred foal ..arriving early in the season* but a filly by Kewpie's Crest from Nancy Bell appeared in Auckland several weeks ago. An early foal has a big advantage in the valuable stakes now on offer for young, lightharness horses, and consequently early matings should grow in favour. Tempest's inclusion in the New i Zealand Cup will give Mr. G. J. Barton the privilege of a bracket of four, as Cloudy Range, Grand Mogul, and Indianapolis are also among those eligible. Indianapolis won last November off' 4min 22sec, Cloudy Range and Grand Mogul being unplaced off 4min 26sec. Cloudy Range has since reached 4min 25sec and Grand Mogul 4min 23sec. . Renown's Best was the favourite for the Electric Handicap at New Brighton, but as usual she was very slow to begin, and it was not until the last two furlongs that she made.any impression on the field. When Renown's Best learns to begin correctly, she should develop into one of the best mile saddle horses in New Zealand. ' Refund's performance when he beat ißine'of his. age in the Seaview Handii cap, a mile and a half for maiden 'three-year-olds, was impressive. Had (Francisco not stumbled and lost sixty yards, she would have made Refund do better still. Judged by the manner in which he finished, Refund had i something in reserve. Considering it was his first race, he shaped particularly well, and should go on to qualify for high honours (says the "Star-Sun"). B. Jarden has disposed of his lease , of Donalda to Mr. G. Deyell, and the i gelding will in future be trained at jAddington by J. Davidson. Donalda I was bred by Mr. J. Westerman, and I was one of the most promising two--1 year-olds of his year. He has more (speed than'the average horse in his i class, but unsOundness has prejudiced 'his career. He. has just concluded a long spell, and now that he is six years old he may survive a preparation. So far, Donalda has won only ■ one race. At the recent Auckland Meeting interest centred in Sandusky, who was making his first three-year-old appearance, and although he was defeated by his stablemate Crocus, his effort was good enough as a Wellington Stakes try-out. The black son of Jewel Pointer has furnished into a fine three-year-old, ■ and after being well back and covering some extra ground, he displayed speed, stamina, and courage at the finish that will ' make him difficult to keep out of the ! main places in this year's classics. Norman Fox is gradually coming back to his best form, and in tha ■ Spring Haridicap at New Brighton on Saturday he put in great work over ■ the last half-mile. He was trotting '; faster than any other horse at the end. and W. J. Doyle, who drove Lament into third place, was almost caught napping. Norman Fox, who now races i in the nomination of Miss A. Norman, [ did good service for his previous own--1 er, Mr. T. G. Fox, and apparently is •aetjget at the end of bis tether.