TROTTINC BREVITIES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 120, 17 November 1937, Page 17

TROTTINC BREVITIES

The Auckland Cup, as a 4min 25sec class, will this year supercede the New Zealand Cup as the leading handicap event on "the trotting calendar. It should at least provide a better race than the New Zealand Cup, which was a most disappointing- contest.

In an endeavour to speed up business on the new totalisator at Addington, the contractors offered prizes for the sellers who disposed .or moss tickets, and paid bonuses, to a!l the staff in addition to their ordinary wages. . War Buoy made one of the few mistakes of his racing career ■ when he crossed his legs in the straight in the New Zealand Cup and almost fell.: He made a remarkable recovery and came home full of running though hopelessly out of a place. He was.putting in great work rounding the top .turti, and his mistake cost his' stable- place-money.

Supertax, who beat the .champions in the Free-for-All, is by the American .trotter Maxegin, out of .Grace Logan, a Logan Pointer mare.. He was operated on a year or two ago for throat trouble, and. While he does not go beyond a mile and a half, he- js a brilliant pacer. This season he .has been trained for Mr. D. Kodgers by R. J. Humphreys, who had previously won Free-for-Alls with Harold Logan.

Big stakes and the importance of winning them weigh'mightily on the minds of some drivers, and affect their judgment to an alarming extent. It has been proved time and again that horses who show, trials from 4min 20sec down to 4min 17sec cannot go within seconds of their private: form with the colours up. The time for the New Zealand Trot* ting Cup, 4min 21 • 2-ssec, was • touch slower than expected. For comparison, Aide de Gamp, handicapped on' 4min 31sec, did 4min 24 2^ssec; an-.un-hoppled trotter, Wahnooka, set. to, do 4min 36sec, accomplished a two-mile journey in 4min 25 2-ssec; and Blair Athol, from 4niin 33sec,' registered 4min 22 3-ssec.

'Lucky Jack has now started in 48 ra"ces for 12-wihsi three seconds; eight thirds, and one fourth, and his total winnings are £3985, a substantial sum for a horse in. his third year of racing. At three years Lucky Jack won £238, at four years £1492, and .during the present season £2255.•• ■■■<*'£■':■■

- M. B. Edwards did not over-rage his team at Addington last week, i for his seven horses contested only; 10 :races, and four of them won staktfljioney. The' three-year-old, Twos;-Loose, * was the best stake-winner for his win in the Derby meant £500. Gambled was second in the Cup and he earned £450, Frisco Boy's two wins netted' £400, and a third to War Buoy added £125, a total of £1470. N