THE TROTTING SPORT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 110, 9 April 1934, Page 6

THE TROTTING SPORT.

BENEFITS OF CO-OPERATION. The transfer of the annual fixture of the Manawatu Trotting Club from Ashhurst, which has been the headquarters of the club for some years past, back to its original home at Awapuni for the 1934 gathering on Saturday was attended by a very successful outcome. The club was very generous with its complimentary tickets, yet the gate returns showed an increase of over £6O when compared with the 1933 figures. With the fields a little better than usual, wagering was more spirited, as a result and the sum of £6335 10s was handled as compared with £4393 10s at Ashhurst last year .—the appreciable increase of £1942. While trotting has its followers in the Manawatu, the paucity of trotting fixtures in and around this centre has not enabled the casual racegoer to feel really at home where the light harness sport is concerned, and interest has not been awakened in consequence. The presence of Harold Logan, possibly still one of the foremost pacers in Australia and New Zealand, if not in the world, attracted to Awapuni many followers of the galloping branch, who were by no means loth to admit that the sister sport had much to commend it. In the South Island it is a common practice to find two trotting events figuring on a galloping programme ’and the system operates very successfully. The happy amalgamation has proved to be of distinct value to both branches of the sport and the present time might well be opportune for racing clubs in this island to extend the hand of good fellowship to the trotting clubs and thereby assist themselves, for the inclusion of one or two trotting events would attract to the fixture many who would not patronise it otherwise.