TROTTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13967, 28 September 1918, Page 9

TROTTING.

NOTES BY PICADOR. l j ft THE STARTING OUESTION AGAIN. .- l Some dissatisfaction is «aid to hare been caused over the starting of the trotting events figuring on the recent meeting of. the Ashburton County Racing Club, where, the yards system and barriers were tried. -One Southern scribe is responsible for the Statement that Leewood, who won the Longhead Trot, was the only comDetitor in that event who began correctly, while out of five starters on the concluding day of the fixture only three went away. The above may be accented as absolutely correct facts, but is it fair to judge the yards system of starting on the Ashburton meeting? No one who is fair-minded will behove so, and .studonts of the snort in this Quarter will be found in plenty extending to those who were present at Ashburton an invitation to any meeting held at Alexandra Park, and thus satisfy themselves that almost certect starts can be obtained under the yarcjs-barncr system. In fact, of lato seasons in this quarter, bad I starts arc lew and far between, and it is a I noticeable fact that when any horse dees J play ud and causa trouble it is either beI cause the animal is naturally tfi ous under i any conditions, has had so m. '.jpcriance 1 of moving starts that it cannot ja expected to adapt itself immediately to the conditions obtaining here, or, as in most cases, the horseman or driver is partly to blamo by his anxiety to obtain an undue advantage, which is impossible under the system. However, these bad starts, when they do seldom occur, cannot be attributed to the system of despatch, which is absolutely fair and beyond dispute. The trouble lies in the fact that the system has not been made universally compulsory, and as pointed out before, so long as the " moving" start is practised at ono meeting and the " standing!' start, at, another, there will be dissatisfaction. But educate drivers, riders, and horses to the yard ."-barrier system df starting, and the dissatisfied element will soon be converted, and . realise that the best system in vogue at the present time of starting trotter? or pacers is that adopted at Aloxandra Park. The Auckland sporting public want no other at present, and if an attempt was made to revert to the old order of thins? trotting would soon become unpopular again. However, such a course is unlikely, for not only the public, but trainers, owners, riders, drivers, and the club authorities in this quarter are completely satisfied, and although trotting has been largely m the boom in Canterbury for some years. I feel consent that under a commilsory universal system of yards-barrier starting, the eport itself would grow even more in public favour in the South than it is at present.

NEW ZEALAND CUP. t , .'; When the opinion was bo freely expressed that Cathedral Chimes was especially well treated in the Now Zealand Trotting Cup, ,it may havo been expected that a small acceptance would have been made, but it .is satisfactory to note that of the 16 horses' which claimed the attention of the handicapper only one is found missing from the list. Ono usually well-informed writer in the South ventures the opinion that it would come as • no surprise to find the son of Four Chimes missing on the day. However, at present ho rules as a sound favourite for the .event, and is in active commission, so that it may be unwise to conclude that he will not be a competitor. Last year's winner, Adelaide Direct, is reported to be doing, particularly well in her work, while Admiral Wood (4m 23 1-59) is another claiming*.', marked attention by his general appearance and movement in tho South. This ...pair, and Author Dillon are claiming, a fair share of ( attention in market quotations. '■" '•'•TV

AUCKLAND TROTTING CLUB, . The spring fixture of tho Auckland Trotting Club will need to engage the. attention of owners and trainers before Friday' next at 5 p.m.. when entries fall due, also '.acceptances for the Great Northern Derby, to be decided at the approaching summer ( , meeting. Indications from the South .are that a number of Canterbury-owned horses will be found in the spring entry lists, though tho closa proximity of the important New Zealand Cup meeting at Addington will . keep the best of the Southerners engaged at home.. However, large entries .are»expected | from all parts of tho North "Islatad? while j the local contingent have been moving along satisfactorily of late, and can be expected . to show up prominently at the gathering. The Spring Handicap (harness), of £400, • Mountain Trot Handicap (harness), of £200, , and October Handicap (harness), of £200, are , some events worthy of mention to take place , on the afternoon of October 19, - and the club secretary, Mr. C. F. Mark,, and his staff, should be kept bußy on Friday next receiving entries. """■■ MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. . Just prior to the appearance. of . the. Cup - handicaps, Cathedral Chimes was reported out of work, but that he cannot: be very '' backward is evident by tho fact that his • trainer-lessee has offered to make ' an; at- itempt to lower tLi mile record at the pawl* otio meeting at Addington- on Saturday L next. This gathering which 4s a special fixture designed to earn funds for. patnqtio i purposes, is creating great interest in Christ- - church, and large entries have been received, iIt is said Auckland owners and trainers are j desirous of providing a simile: afternoon sport as a source of revenue for some, de- •.. serving fund, and later in the season it is to be hoped the suggestion will be acted upon. V'. ' The purse money for the owners of horses I who are capable of lowering the existing . Australian and New Zealand.time records - for a mile and two miles are still on offer.by r the Auckland Trotting Club. Of course, the I records must be broken at Alexandra Park, | : where successful attempts of a'-similar nature h* have been recorded in the past*-• The cjub \ officials are always to the fore in furthering, ■" the interests of the spctt, and nothing, oouli F advertise Alexandra Park better than,,that of time records being lowered thereon..:,.'. I 1 Eccentric, once owned in this district; ' is !- reported to have changed hands in the South. ■ ' • • >> •;•■, •*t«- ! Mykot, who went under to, Ruanui .at Alexandra Park last autumn, is spoken of :' as a very promising three-year-old. .• This . candidate from New Brighton was in the • market for Geraldine, but failed. ' ■ Sympathy, who got on the, winning list at •- Alexandra Park last season, is said to be' in !•• great heart, and is expected to perform creditably for Mr. Gracefield in the near future. ! '. ,i Nancy Stair, who is expected North as a ( . competitor at our spring meetings, has been working well at Now Brighton. ; . -■ ■• j = A Southern scribe has figured it olifthat only two scratch horses were successful out | of 64 races decided last season,'-while 40 of > the events wero won by horses off the- limit or within two seconds of it. Mr. H. F. Nicoll. the well-known trotting enthusiast of Ashburton, scratched' <rll his horses for Ashburton, Geraldine and Kurow ' meetings on account of the death of his brother, Mr. C. W. Nicoll, who was also favourably known in the trotting worldAfter'the Ashburton meeting J- Bryoe was > in the lead for both the reinsman and training honours for the present season. A. Butterfield was runner-up in the reinsman championship, and P. McNeill for training honours. Harold Dillon was at tho head , of the sires' list. With a desire to be up-to-date in all pari tioulars, the Otahuhu Trotting Club have I this year issued their programmes in book form, and that step is to be warmly wel--1 comed, , " '- • The Otahuhu Trotting Qlub Invite tender*" for the right to run the refreshment -. stalls! and publicans' booths during .the present! season. Tonders cloee at noon on Monday next. NOMENCLATURE. TO THE SPORTINO EDITOR. Sir,—ln the issu.. of the Weelcli New» of August 22. a let«er headed " Nomencla- ; ture," in which "Mr. A. A. Reese*,of To Aroha, who has always taken a keen ..interest in the naming of two-year-olds,"' submits what he considers appropriate names for a number of Auckland youngsters. It is not my mission at present 'to, discuss the assimilation or otherwise of the patronymics suggested, though I venture to suggest, that, generally speaking, most of them, as a reflex of the breeding are as pertinent as if they had been by " Kaiser" out of "France." Where I do join issue with Mr. Reose is when he ventures to translate Maori words. As an illustration, we axe informed that a > suit-able name for a.brown gelding—Marble , Arch—Kakama—would be " Kaka" or " Maungakaka," because " kakama" means " red kaka," a bird, and " maunga" means M black." That kaka, among various other meanings is, ornithologically, the nestor proproductus, the nativo parrot, is true, but that Kakama signifies a red kaka' is entirely, erroneous.' 'If ' ' Denounced kakama ("a" hard) it would - bo " white kaka," but the name when originally given, was, no doubt,' Kakama ("'a" soft), meaning quick, alert-, nimble. Again, does not , mean "black;" " maunga" is a mountain or' mountainous. The Maori word for black", is " mangu" or " pan go." Vcrbum sapientil Maohilakd. Sydney September 9, 1918.

GIL-BEY'S DRY GIN. Notice.Messrs. W. and A. Gilbey desire to notify the public that, owing.'to the closing down by the Governmentof 1 the distilleries in the United Kingdom and the great dearth of shipping facilities, ■ it is impossible for the time. being to.meet in full the demands for their famous gin. very effort is being made,-however,-to overcome existing difficulties," "arid" the s public should continue to aek for and sea that they get Gilbey's Dry Gin only in the firm's crystal bottles, which have- their , signature blown thereon. '•]■'* i