TROTTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21979, 14 June 1933, Page 11

TROTTING

By Sentinel. Tactless went 3min 17 l-ssec when he finished third to Indianapolis at Ashburton, - . , Great Minto has been rehandicapped to 12 yards in the Winchester Trot, to be run at the Tiraaru meeting. Two light harness events of lOOsovs «ach are included on the Oamaru Jockey Club’s programme, for which nominations close to-day. ■ : Excellent . acceptances have been received for both the light-harness races to be decided on Saturday at Timaru. ■Applications for the new seasons licenses should be lodged with the secre-tary-of the .New Zealand' Trotting Association on or before June 30. ' The sectional times for the Sapling Stakes were Imin 10 4-ssec.. 2mm 17 l-ssec, and 3min 21 3-ssec. This makes the final half mile in better than Imm ssec, so that the youngsters were travelling at a fairly last’ clip over the final stage of the journey. A solid'pace' was set all the way in the Winter Handicap. The first mile was, run in 2min 13sec, and this left the opposition without being able to pull out a serious, challenge to Indianapolis at the finish. Indianapolis has supplied evidence of stamina- in his three-year-old season, and is entitled to wear the laurels as. the best of his age in New Zealand. Under favourable conditions there seems to be a good chance that Walla Walla will be the first horse m the southern hemisphere to link himself with the champions of the Lmted by going a mile, in two minutes or. better. It is getting a bit late in the season to achieve a real record, but he will probably do so when track and atmospheric conditions assist him to beat the watch. The racing authorities are anxious to debar, horses from racing in^ny thing except bandages on the leg. What -a storm of protest would be raised if somepne had the temerity to suggest a similar rule m connection with light-harness racing, borne of the light-harness performers carry gear from the ears to the heels. On the head they carry deafeners in the shape ot hoods and plugged ears, shadow blinds, blinkers, overehecks. underchecks, sidepoles, elbow boots, kne e boots, cannon boots, fetlock boots, coronet or quarter boots, scalpers, hobbles, and, in fact, all that ingenuity can suggest. Knee spreaders have not been seen in recent years, nor the front or cross-hobbles that were once in use to correct faults of action or temperament. If the trotting folk'were asked.to discard cannon boots or quarter boots they would treat it as a. joke. Quarter boots are now sometimes used on horses apt to over-reach jrhen racing over jumps.

The New Zealand Sapling Stakes was a wonderful race, and while Chancellor is regarded as the unlucky candidate it would have taken an exceptional two-year-old (says an exchange) to beat War Buoy. It was unfortunate that Chancellor made a break at the start, an error that cost him fully 50 yards. He made up some of the ground going down the back straight, but was still five lengths behind the leaders at the bend for home. He finished well, but he could not catch War Buoy and Village Gpy. Chancellor is certainly a high-class two-year-old, and his next meeting with War Buoy and Village Guy will create considerable interest.

During a with a Christchurch Times representative on Saturday, Mr H. F. Nicoll, president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, expressed surprise at the statements that had appeared in the newspapers regarding fixed penalties for handicapping. This was not in the minds of members of the Stiendiary Stewards’ Committee which controls 1 the handicapping system, he stated. " All that the Stipendiary Stewards’ Committee is asking the conference to do,” said Mr Nicoll, "is to carry on the present system of handicapping with certain new rules and regulations which would enable the committee better to control the administration of the present system.” According to “ Argus ” Worthy King put up a great perfoimance when he won the Actoil Handicap at Ashburton. He broke at the start, and when the big field of 18 had settled down he was last. He showed a torrent of speed going along the back straight, and, sustaining his speed in a sensational manner, he thundered down the straight to gather the opposition and beat them easily in: 3min 18 3-ssec. Just how fast Worthy King paced the mile and a-half from the time he set on the journey is open to conjecture, but it is evident that he recorded an exceptionally fast performance. He is a five-year-old gelding, by Travis Axworthy from a mare by King Cole, 2min 8 3-ssec. He is owned by Mr A. Davey, who trains him. , The "roll of. honour” in connection with the Sapling Stakes reads as follows: —

1919 F. E. Jones’s- Doraldina (F. E. Jones) ... ..... 3.35 1-5 1920 H. ,F. Nicoll’s Childe Pointer (D, Warren) - 3;37 3-5 1921 H. F. Nicoll’s Latona (D. ’*• Warren) .. .. .. .. 3.37 1922 R. M. Morten’s Ahuriri

■ i (J. Bryce) .. .... . 3.33 1923 R. M. Morten's Taureka- . reka. (J. Bryce) .. .. 3.33 2-5 1924 R, M. Morten’s Kohara ’ (J. Bryce) 3132 1-5 1925 H. I’. Nicoll’s Nantwich (D. Warren) .. .. .. 3.39 3-5 1926 R. W. Franks’s Richore , - (F. 6. Holmes) .. .7 3.31 1927 R. G. Fisken’s Enawah (R. C. Fisken) ....... 3.33 1928 G. Cudby’s Sonoma Child (F, G. Holmes) .... 3.38 1929 D. O’Keefe’s John Jiiiks (D. Teahen) .. .. .. 3.28 1-5 1930 H. P. Nicoll’s Arethusa (M. Holmes) : .. 3.25 3-5 1931 G. Stanley’s Silver de Oro (S. A. Edwards) .. .. 3.25 4-5 1932 J. R. M’Kenzie’s Taxpayer (6. Mouritz) 3.32 1933 Mrs E. ,K. Mauger’s War Buoy (M. B. Edwards) 3.213-5 At the -ceremony of decorating War Buoy after winning the Sapling Stakes, Mr,H. F. Nicoll, president of the Trotting Association, said: “We in Ashburton are proud of the New Zealand Sapling Stakes,” for it placed the club on The map, showing that enterprise, - combined with business common sense, is.a payable proposition when properly handled. The race was instituted 14 years ago,, and from small beginnings it had steadily grown in favour with owners, trainers, arid the public. Cast your mind back a few .years and visualise the class of horse that used to come into the birdcage, and then note the character of .the candidates of to-day,” said Mr Nicoll. “It will easily be seen that breeding has progressed considerably, hence the high-class, horse that has come forward for present contests. Mr Nicoll said that the committee was not yet satisfied-arid its members 'had it in their minds to increase the stake to £IOOO as soon as they could see their way clear to do so. “ I believe,” he said, “ that we. have touched bottom in the world depression and that there is. now a rift in the sky, and that we are about to take our first step in a stiff climb to prosperous times. All our exports have shown an upward movement in prices during the past two months, and this should encourage the people of the Dominion to view the future with confidence and see definite signs of prosperity next season.”