TROTTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19062, 6 July 1925, Page 6

TROTTING.

CANTERBURY NOTES. THE NEW ZEALAND DERBY. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CHRISTCHURCH. Saturday. The New Zealand Derby Stakes Race, previously run under the auspices of the New Brighton Trotting Club, has been taken over by the Metropolitan Trotting Club. Tlie stake will amount to .£750 for a start and in 1928 this sum will be increased to £ 1000. Tho race is to be run in November. This decision was reached at a meeting of tho committiee of tho Metropolitan Club yesterday afternoon. A good deal of criticism has been aroused over the circumstances which caused the race to bo taken over by the Metropolitan Club. When the New Brighton Club decided for financial reasons to drop the race, the Canterbury Park Club agreed to take it over, but the Trotting Association declined to allow that club to run it at New Year, objection having been made 011 behalf of the Auckland Trotting Club, which runs the Great Northern Trottinsr Derby about the same time. The action of the Auckland Club is held here to have been selfish, to discuss it from 110 other point of view, while the action of the Trotting Association in upholding tho Auckland objection is strongly resented in local trotting circles. What would havo happened if tho Canterbury Park Club had insisted on its right to run its meetings with racos to suit its patrons is not quite clear, but the opinion is expressed that the association went beyond its powers. However, this phase need not bo discussed further. The classic race has been taken over by the Metropolitan Club, which is in the best position to make a complete success of it: and doubtless it will now become a feature of the November programme with a stake big enough to attract the best three-year-olds for their first contest of the season at Addington. The threo Christchureh trotting clubs held tho'ir annual meetings this week. They are all in a sound position and 110 changes have taken place in their executive officers. Tho rain which has fallen this week has put a stop to work on. the local trotting tracks, and road exorcise has been tho general order. The trainers will soon be busy again, however, as tho August meeting at Addington will require attention shortly. Mr. G, McMillan, of Auckland, was in Christ-church this week and purchased the two-year-old pacer, Wakatana, by Man-o'-War—Mountain Rose, from Mr. R. M. Morten. Tho colt has already demonstrated that he is a pood one as ho ran second to Nantivich in the Sapling Stakes, at Ashburton last month. MINTON DERBY. BOOKED FOR NEW ZEALAND. A. and N.Z. SYDNEY, July 4. The crack New South Wales pacer Minton Derby has boon leased to Mr. W. J. Tomkinson with a view to his being raced in New Zealand.