TROTTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21598, 19 March 1932, Page 5

TROTTING

By Sentinel.

Margaret Bingen was backed down to a strong odds-on chance for the Moryen Trot, and those who backed her had their money-lost and won a couple of times during the race. She put'in a. break and lost a lot of ground, Trat had sufficient speed to recover it. At the finish she was winning by a couple of lengths, but just,on .the post made a dive for. the entrance to the bird cage, which is a few strides past the judge's box.. Margaret Bingen was brought out again, and after showing pace to get her near the leaders, faded out a long way from hpme. She is a five-year-old-half lister to Logan's Pet, Kjd .Logan, 'and Waitaki Girl,'' and: a sister ■ to Stanley Bingen. , '<" The Hook Trot proved a good thing for Red Spur, who was kept in behind Great Seaman until reaching the straight, and, then came aWay to score a comfortable" win. Red Spur is a three-year-old chestnut gelding by Wrack from Gianella, the dam of several winners. Gianella was a good performer in her day, and went 2min 13sec and 4min 36sec. She was got by Quincey from Queen V, by Kentucky from Harold's Rest, by King Harold, and so has strong infusions of the Vancleve strain in. her pedigree. A notable entrant among the trotters for the • Addington Easter fixture is Wrackler, who has previously done all his racing as a hoppled pacer. Although he has been nominated in the fast class pacing races (eays the Referee), he is also entered in the 3.27 class mile and a-half. race for trotters, and the New Zealand Cup winner will add a great deal of interest to the race should he take his place in that event.'" The allowance in the handicapping system lets him out nine seconds on his pacing mark if he competes as an. unhoppled trotter. As his two-mile mark is now 4min 23sec he will be handicapped on 4min 32sec or its equivalent line mark 3min 23sec, which will place him 48 yards behind in the trotting event. Mr T. Robertson,.owner of Nella Dillon, has received a maiden pacer from New South "Wales. The'newcomer is by: the well-known sire Minton Derby, who carried Mr C. Griffen's colours to victory in the Auckland Cup in 1922 and was a good winner in the hands of Peter Riddle, who steered him in all his engagements. When Minton Derby won the Auckland Cup his • owner unfortunately failed to witness the race (says " Mistral"), .'the steamer on which he arrived from Sydney being behind schedule, while Mr Griffen lost his way when.trying to locate Alexandra Park. He took the wrong tramcar, .Should.-the,maiden by the Australian turn out to be anything like-.'her sire,' ehe willibe a' profitable proposition. She is out of a mare called May Bells, and is four, years old. In the early days the Victorian Trot-ting-Club did much towards improving Australian trotters with its Trotting Sires' Produce Stakes. For the third Australian Trotting Sires' Produce Stakes for foals f;ot in the season of 1883 (48 years ago) the following sires were nominated, all imported:—Walter Scott, Childe Harold, Vermont Junior, Boc- , cacio, Len Rose, Pioneer, Honesty, Contractor, &n'd Von: Moltke Junior. • J. G. Wendell was the largest nominator with seven colts and fillies, all by Walter Scott. J. J. Miller had five by Contractor, Honesty aad- Boccaccio}--W. -Harris had four by Vermont Junior. The late Samuel .Hordera. (says the Sydney Referee), .father of Sir Samuel . Hordern, president of the New South Wales Royal Agricultural Society, had two —Vermont Chief, by Vermont Junior, from Beatrice W. (imp.), and a filly. Elmos Vermbntine, by. .Vermont (junior) ; from Hattie Weir (imp).. Mr Hcirdern went in extensively for breeding trotters, at his Retford Estate, Bpwral, with:-the imported' stallion Judge Beldon, and the New Zealand-bred sire, Duke, by Berlin (imp.) from Fanny Bell (imp.). Unfortunately, the breeding record of the Retford stud was lost when.Mr Hordern's premises were burned. Owing to the destruction of the records many of the colts and'fillies bred on the estate were lost sight of, and no doubt many fast trotters in after years, whose dams were described as unknwon, were- bred at the Retford stud.

In 1926, after winning the prize for champion stallion at the Melbourne Show, AdmiraPWood was taken suddenly ill and later died at Northwood Park, Seymour. That his death, was a-big loss has since been conclusively proved (says “Backmarker ”) by the success of his progeny—both trotters and pacers. Foaled in 1011, Admiral Wood was only 15 years of age at death, and Mr A- G- Hunter’s loss was doubly severe on account of the 1926 stud season being about to commence. At the Richmond meeting on February 29 Admiral Wood, a top-notch performer in New Zealand in his day, was represented by four winners—two trotters and two pacers. In each case the victories were full of merit, and considering his few chances. Admiral Wood has gone down in history as a truly great sire, Mr A. G. Hunter always had a great fancy for the beautiful brown son of Wildwood Junior, anil regretted that the public patronage was not greater. However, Globe Derby was in the same stud, and naturally owners preferred the sire which had already made a name as a speed progenitor." This despite, the fact .that his fee was 25 guineas against. 10 guineas charged for Admiral Wood. A great stayer himself, which he demonstrated by pacing two miles against time in 4min 23£sec, Admiral Wood proved his ability to sire horses capable of winning over any distance Princess Wood and The Admiral have won races up to two miles. The first named was successful in the £SOO in 1928, when she established her record of 2niin 17sec over a distance of one mile and a-half. Last December she won a Richmond Handicap of two miles, and has also a Flying Handicap to her credit. The Admiral, in addition to being a good Victorian performer, won the Tasmanian Thousand in 1930. He has a mile record at Richmond of ,2min 164scc, and in his last win averaged 2min 161 sec over a distance of nine furlongs. This brilliant stallion put up one of the beet races of bis life in Tasmania, when, ridden by D. Mann, he was narrowly beaten in a race of two miles after giving the winner a start of 144 yards. So far this season the Admiral Wood performers have won 10 races. Though a pacer, he is becoming quite famous as a sire of trotters, and many of this gait, including Admiral Vesta. Admiral Fred and Fair Admiral, are recent winners.