SPORTING NEW TROTTING CONTROL SYSTEM

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 March 1946, Page 5

SPORTING NEW TROTTING CONTROL SYSTEM

OFFICIALS’ VISIT TO WEST COAST

The president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, Mr H. F. Nicoll, and the president of the New Zealand Trotting Association, Mr B. McCarthy, will visit Greymouth on Saturday. The main purpose of their visit will be to discuss with' members of the Greymouth Trotting Club the working of the new system of control of trotting meetings by stipendiary stewards. They will also discuss other aspects of the sport and will inspect the club’s property. Messrs Nicoll and McCarthy will visit Reef ton to-morrow to meet members of the Reefton Club.

The Greymouth Trotting Club has appointed Mr T. Oxenham, of Greymouth, as its honorary stipendiary steward for the next meeting. Mr Oxenham will work with two stewards appointed by the conference. NEWS FROM TRACK AND STABLE Sleepy Fox Back. After being in Australia under the care of B. R. Payten at Randwick for some months, the brilliant sprinter Sleepy Fox returned to Auckland from Sydney last week and is again in the team of T. F. Verner at Takanini. Sleepy Fox did well in his first I'our starts in Australia, notching two firsts and two seconds, after which he suffered a lapse of form and raced poorly when produced at the recent autumn meetings at Caulfield and Flemington. Sleepy Fox's Sydney wins were achieved in the Canterbury Stakes, six furlongs, at Canterbury Park, and in the Chelmsford Stakes, nine furlongs, at Randwick.

Brilliant Speedster. It is a long time since a horse possessing the brilliant speed of Peter Robinson has been seen at Trentham, says a Wellington writer. Each day at Trentham he used a tremendous burst to overcome the handicap of a tardy beginning. Unfortunately he is not an easy horse to control, but if he could be raced evenly through a race he would win plenty of them. Peter Robinson is by Sir Crusoe from Idolize.

Famous Family. Royal Victor, who joined the ranks of winners of important middle-dis-tance handicaps when he scored m the President’s Handicap 'at Trentham, had not raced since he beat Kuri and Beau Cheval over a mile at Trentham in January. He was aided to some extent by the easy state of the going, but is one of those versatile horse which can handle any type of track, his January success being achieved on top of the ground. He credited the Eulogy family with another important win and, being a son of Siegfried, it is reasonable to assume that he will improve with age and stay well. He is bred on a cross of. Hampton through. Son-in-Law (sire of Siegfried) and Dark Ronald (sire of Magpie who got his dam, Goorabul). It would occasion surprise if a horse bred on such a cross did not succeed as a stayer.

High-class Horse. The return to the winning list by Findon was one of the features of the Trentham racing on Saturday. He was in show-horse condition when he contested the Thompson Handicap, but cleaned up remarkably with two gallops during the week. He is still not at the peak of condition. Findon is a high-class horse whose career has been restricted by unsoundness. While the tracks remain soft the grey son of Kincardine and Ruinette should be heard from again.

Good Season. Gigli (Defoe— Haughty Toti) made a big impression when he won the Railway Handicap at Trentham, but he did not relish the going last Saturday. Gigli has now won four races at Trentham, and it has been well said that only good horses win on the track.

Hard to Place. Master Dash, at the top of the Handicaps in the best classes, will be difficult to place in future. During the past 12 months such horses as Sleepy Fox, Immediate, Te Hinemoa, High Play, First In, and Royal Flight worked themselves to the top of the handicaps and were deprived of further opportunity unless they started in one of the very, few Weight-for-age races on our calendar or gave away up to three and a half stone to run in handicaps. A Wellington writer has made a valuable suggestion that the principal clubs in the Dominion might stage a Quality Handicap, on similar lines to events of that name in Australia. Such races are restricted to the best-class horses with a limit to the range of the handicap.

Early Favourite. The New Zealand horse Immediate, who is now owned and trained in Australia, is outright favourite for the Doncaster Handicap, the first leg of the Sydney Easter double. Immediate is trained at Moorefield by R. Mead and the horse is not being rushed in his preparation. He is expected to have his first start for the autumn at Canterbury on March 30 or at Rosehill on April'-6. Before the issue of the weights, Immediate and Magnificent were coupled to win £50,000 in the Doncaster-Sydney Cup double. Immediate has 9.0 in the Doncaster Handicap, the lopweight being St. Fairy with 9.10. Immediate is also a Cup candidate and ' has 8.7 in this events which is run over two miles.

Track Records. Grattan Drive and Leonin set new figures for the Wyndham track in winning their races at the meeting on Saturday. Grattan-Drive won the President’s Handicap in style and with something in hand, and the time for the mile-and-a-half journey was 3min 19 3-ssec. A hot favourite in this event, Maori Home, who is regarded as one of the most promising pacers in the south, made all the pace to the straight, but tired into third place. 'He should soon make amends. Grattan Drive is a six-year-old by Grattan Loyal from a mare by Sung'od. The other recordbreaker, Leonin, who set 3.37 2-5 for the mile and five furlongs, is a five-year-old gelding by Jack Potts from Lady Effie. Great Run.

Loyal Boy made an impression in running third in the second division of the Trial Handicap at the Wyndham meeting. He lost almost a furlong at the start, 'but finished brilliantly. Loyal Boy is an aged gelding by Grattan Loyal from a mare by Harold Rothschild, and. in spite of his age, should soon collect a winning stake. He has been consistently in the places this season and in his first five starts was never further back than third.

Sound Effort.

Although beaten into second place in the Champion Hack Handicap at Trentham on Saturday, Blue Moon should win good races before the winter is out. She showed on Saturday that heavy ground is no handicap. Being from the Lord Quex mare Astrite, the first of the progeny of the Acre mare Asturisca, this ability is not surprising.

REMOUNTS SCHEME NOT TO BE REVIVED

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Mar. 21

The Remounts Encouragement Act better known in racing circles as the premium stallion scheme, which was suspended as a wartime economy measure, is not to be revived. Based on an Act passed before the First World War. the premium stallion scheme came into operation in 1939 for the purpose of encouraging the breeding of the type of horses suitable for army purposes and generally to build up the Dominion’s horse population, which was showing a rap-, id and serious decline. Thirty-eight service districts were operated under the scheme and in the last year of. its activities 42 stallions were at service.

Recently the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. B. Roberts, wrote to the racing conference, stating that after the outbreak of war the demand for horses by the Army did not materialise owing to the rapid progress of Army mechanisation. As several crops of young horses were coming to hand to meet the demand for hacks, the Department considered that the reinstatement of the regulations was not warranted.

The Racing Conference has concurred with this opinion.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

Galloping

March 23: Manawatu. March 23: Bay of Plenty. March 23: Oamaru. March 30: Waimate. March 30: Bay of Plenty. .March 30: Birchwood, March 30: Manawatu, Trotting Mar cl). 23: Auckland. March 23: Kaikoura. March 30: New Brighton, •