TROTTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21734, 27 August 1932, Page 17

TROTTING

By Sentinel, ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. “Wager,” Dunedin. —Cathedral • Chimes won in 4.25 at Canterbury Park. Two light harness events will be decided at Wingatui this afternoon. Over 60 people attended a meeting held at Rangiora on Wednesday evening' and decided to form a trotting club. On September 1, at noon, a payment is due in connection with the New Zealand Derby Stakes, to be decided in November. Gemlight’s erratic behaviour at the August meeting did not please J. Bryce, and the gelding has been returned to his owner. Gemlight is a very difficult horse to get right, being of a moody disposition. Nominations for the New Zealand Derby Stakes, 1934 (now yearlings), will close with the secretary of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club on September 1, at noon. ; It is J. Bryce’s intention 'to put the American trotter Maxegin into work Maxegin is a very capable trotter, and a real racehorse. He wilTbe given a course of- jogging work, and. if he pleases his trailer his preparation will be completed 1 Tactless is gradually building up under R. J.,Humphreys, who is exercising considerable care with the gelding.' Tactless is very finicky, and a change of appetisers is necessary to encourage him to eat up his feed. The Auckland trotter Explosion has been completing his track tasks in excellent style at Epsom and he is reported to have never looked in better order. ;He is engaged in two races to-day at Alexandra Park, and he is expected to perform well in both, even though he is set to give starts ranging up to, 48yds to a field of pacers in the Grey Lynn Handicap. The Canterbury reinsman, S. A..; Edwards, has set up as a public trainer at Winton, and already has a team of six horses. Edwards is well-known in Southland as a ' capable horseman and he was behind Erin’s Fortune and Nelson's, Fortune in moat of their victories in Southland. Edwards intended to make Gore his headquarters, but could not get suitable accommodation there.

At the annual meeting of the Gore Trotting Club, held recently, the president (Mr J. Reynolds) presided over a fair attendance of members. In moving the adoption of the annual report and balance sheet, the president said that the past year had been as good as could have been .expected under , the conditions prevailing. The ckb had very reluctantly decided to reduce its stake money by £3OO, and the fact that the loss occurred on the year’s working amounted to approximately £36 showed that the step had been a necessary one. The club was indebted to the Gore Racing Club for the facilities made available for the Boxing Day meeting.' The chairman thanked the members for the courtesy and consideration extended to him. Mr E. A. Pigeon seconded the motion, which was carried. The following office-bearers were elected;—President, Mr E. A. Pigeon; vice-presidents, Messrs J. C. Ray and J. S. Grant; committee —Messrs A. H. Inder, J. Brown, G. J. Williamson, W. L. M'Goldrick, J J. Reynolds, and D. Windle; auditor, Mr W. D. Shelton. A vote of -thanks was passed to the retiring president. J. Bryce has agreed to exchange Matchlight for Cathedral Chimes for the stud season. Cathedral Chimes is now owned by Mr Johnson at Oamarn. When previously at Oakhampton Lodge he sired some high-class performers, including Ahuriri (.4.20 3-5). Taurekareka (2.44), and Kohara, (4.25 4-5). Cathedral Chimes has the distinction of having sired winners of three New Zealand Trotting Cups, namely, Ahuriri in 1925 and 1926, and Kohara in 1927. Cathedral Chimes was 1 one of the celebrities of his day. In 1916 he annexed the New Zealand Trotting Cup and left the race track with an unblemished reputation and a record of 4.25. Many breeders will doubtless be pleased to have the opportunity of procuring the services of Cathedral Chimes for, their brood mares. Matchlight, who also has been a big success both as a racehorse and as a sire, will be sent to North Otago. The 1932-33 season was opened at Perth recently, when the principal event, the August Cup, was won by the New Zea-land-bred gcldiug Whakuku, from 6yds behind. Included in the field was Logan Park, whose mark, was 96yds, and other New Zealanders in Trenand and Tommy Dillon. Trenand was responsible for most of the pace, but Whakuku was always handily placed, and he scored by half a yard from the favourite _ Percy’s Sou. Logan Park covered the mile .and a-half at a 2min 14|eec rate, but he finished well back. Whakuku (Great Audubon—General Mac mare) arrived in Perth early in 1927 in the ownership of Mrs H. D. O’Brien, of New Zealand. He was sold to F. Bonnett, then to F. Lee, and later to C. J. Clarke. The 11-year-old gelding, a fine-looking chestnut, has now won at his last two starts. Eighty-six starts for 12 firsts (twice doing the hat trick), five seconds, and eight thirds is his Western Australian record. His driver won first honours in the reinsmen’s competition last season. Whakuku’s winning times are 2min ISJsec, 2min 23}sec, 2min ISisec, 2min 19sec, 2min 2min 21isec, 2min 21fsec, 2min 20Jsec, 2min 22. I ,sec, 2min 20|see, 2min 18|sec, and 2min 21Jsec. After the acceptances closed at 5 p.m. on Friday for the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting a telegram was received from Christchurch accepting for the pacer Ayrmont Chimes in the August Handicap and the Massey Memorial Handicap, but it could not be allowed. After being notified by the telegraph office that J. Bryce, the owner, had forwarded a telegram accepting for Ayrmont Chimes, the secretary of the Auckland Trotting Club (Mr A G. Mabee) .instituted inquiries, and found that the message was apparently telephoned to the Christchurch Telegraph

Office for transmission at 4.6, but was not despatched to Auckland until 5.10. The Rules of Trotting state: “ Where any entry or acceptance made by telegram is shown to have been lodged and timed at the office of origin at least two hours before the advertised time of closing, but is delayed in delivery until after such closing time, the committee or stewards may admit the same, provided always that such cases shall be reported forthwith by the club to the Trotting Association, such report to be by confirmation in writing from the officer in charge of the telegraph office making the delivery.” Mr Mabee communicated with J. Bryce by telephone, and informed him of the position, and the latter stated that he would place the matter before the Trotting Association.- ■_ A winner was disqualified recently at the meeting of the New South Wales Trotting Club in unusual circumstances. Amy Pronto, an outsider in the second division of the President’s Unhoppled Handicap, made most of the running in the concluding lap of the race, but was caught on the post by Pine Clump, the judge declaring for a dead heat. Under the recently amended rules of the club, it is necessary for drivers to- weigh at least 10.0, and it is often they present themselves at'the scales with a specially prepared cushion to make weight. It is understood that G. King, driver of Amy Pronto, weighed out correctly, but after the race failed by 41b to tip the scales, and there was no option but to disqualify Amy Pronto for the race. The stipendiary stewards opened an inquiry into the reason for the discrepancy, and, although on the face of it an explanation should readily have been forthcoming, the officials could' not reach a definite conclusion, and the investigation was adjourned indefinitely. King was unable .to make use of his cushion to weigh in after the race, since it had been taken from the view of the judge, and. in fact, out of the enclosure., before the drivers were presented at scale. . This could account for the shortage in weight if the cushion was of a weighty type, but it is understood there is some doubt as to whether the driver carried the cushion when he was weighed before the race.