TROTTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22022, 3 August 1933, Page 5

TROTTING

By Sentinel. Colorado has not yet qualified for the National Cup to be run on the third day of the Addington meeting. He hud to give away one second to go into the 4.27 class. In one sense, Colorado has been nominated for a race in which he is ineligible, but the conditions read that “ assessed ” means the horse’s assessed mark at the time of the handicap. A horse who promises to be an early winner during the season is Mountain Sun, a trotter being trained by W. Fleming at Epsom. The chestnut was in a place on the second day of the last Auckland meeting, and his effort then showed (says an Auckland writer) that he has only to go without mistake to get the money. He has done practically no racing and is certain to improve. Arctotis does not figure among the nominations for the first day of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s August meeting, but it is likely that he will be on hand for trotters’ events on the two later days. At his last visit to Addington he won the fast class mile and a-half trotters’ race on the concluding day. Seeing that Roi Grande has been shaping so badly as a trotter this season, and that he showed little encouragement of losing a habit he has developed of breaking on the turns, A. Newdick has decided to try the chestnut as a pacer. When the gelding was first brought across from Sydney he showed distinct marks of the hopples. When worker recently by his trainer with the straps on, Roi Grande did not pace smoothly round the turns. The Epsom trainer, R. D. Kenneriey has a small but solid team in work, and it will be surprising if he does not win some races in the near future. Silver Bingen is working well and is a very fit horse (says “Orion"), while Peter Pirate, who is being prepared for the big races at the next meeting locally, is a fitter horse than when he raced at the last Auckland meeting. Peter Junior is a recent addition to the stable and should be a useful horse, while Kelp, though consistently unlucky in his races, always manages to gather in enough to pay expenses. An opinion- from the north says that no pacer in Auckland has stood up to solid racing better than Kewpie’s Triumph, and the bay looks in great order to be tuned up for next month’s meeting at Epsom. Twelve months ago there were doubts about the son of Our Triumph being a genuine two-miler, but during the winter the racing he had stood up to saw him develop stamina, and he can now go with the best in Auckland over any distance. Still a young horse, Kewpie’s Triumph should continue to do his veteran owner, Mr J. Gee, further good service. Yankeeland, a three-year-old gelding, by Rey de Oro from Evolution, attracted attention by his good showing at his first time of asking ; when he contested the Aylesbury Handicap at Riccarton. He was handily placed until the straight was being approached, when he ran very wide and lost ground. Even then he finished not far behind the fourth horse, Blandford. With a little racing experience (says “ Argus ”) Yankeeland should not be long in developing winning form. Evolution, his dam, was sired by Galindo and was from a mare by Havelock. The Trotters' Cup, which is the principal race for unhoppled trotters in Victoria, and which is decided annually in Melbourne, was this year won by Abbey May, an aged mare, by Abbey Mac from May Wilkes. Starting from the front, Abbe May won in 4.42, which is a record for the race, the class of which was this year 4.52. Another front marker in First Saloon, driven by G. Gath, well known to. New Zealand followers of the sport, was second, and Maud Voyage, from 54yds, was third. May Wilkes, dam of the winner, was by imported Marvin Wilkes, for a time at the stud in New Zealand, and sire of the fine trotter Hardy Wilkes, from In Maytime, who was also imported from America. Abbey Mae, sire of the winner, is by Abbey Bells frorn Bessie M'Kinney. Major Woolworth, sire of Stanley T. and Major Lind, was one of the fastest pacers ever imported to the British Isles from America. Major Woolworth was both a successful racehorse and an outstanding sire. In announcing his death, an English paper named a list of 11 of hia get that had won high honours, the fastest being Major Lind, who paced a mile in 2min 16sec from a standing start. Major Woolworth made several notable campaigns in America. In 1914 he won eight races oht of 11 starts, in 1915 eight out of 12, in 1916 five out of seven, and in 1917 four out of 10, making the high average of 25 wins in 40 starts. He is best remembered in America for his notable victory in the eight-heat free-for-all at Combination Park, Medford, which still remains the world's record for an eightheat race. Major Woolworth did not win any of the first four heats, but won the fifth and sixth. In the eighth heat there were three horses with two wine each to their credit, and Major Woolworth won it after a terrific battle with Roan Hal and Judge Ormonde. Commenting upon a statement made that trotters in recent years have developed staying power because of the infusion of thoroughbred blood, a writer in an exchange says it is amusing to learn such is the case. He says that 40 years ago a race took place at the Chicago World’s Exposition which proved the American trotter did not require even then an infusion of any other blood to improve staying powers. The race took nine heats to decide and required three consecutive days to complete. It was a Free-for-All, carrying £3OOO prize money. There were 10 starters. It was under three in fiye rules, which means one horse had to win three heats to gain theorize. Alix won the first heat in 2min 7Jsec, and the fourth heat in 2min lljsec. It was getting too dark to go on with the race and it was postponed to the following day. The following day the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth heats were run off, a different I horse winning each heat. The race was ; again postponed to the following day, Alix i won the first heat on the third day, and,

having won three heats, was adjudged the winner. The nine heats were run in 2min 7]sec, 2min KUsec, 2min lOJsec, 2min 2min 2min 9|sec, 2min 12|eec, 2min ISJsec, and 2min 9ijsec. That 10 trotting-bred horses could go through such an ordeal would not make it .appear that they required any addition to their stamina. That was 40 years ago, and from continuous breeding generation after generation from trotting-bred stock, three-year-old colts are now trotting their four heats in an afternoon in the vicinity of a two-minute gait. Last year the Hambletonian Stake of £12,000, for three-year-old trotters, took four heats to decide in an afternoon. They were trotted in 2miu 4Jsec, 2min Ijeec, 2min 4}sec, and 2min 51sec. There was nothing much wrong with the stamina of the five colts and fillies that contested the race. It was won by The Marchioness, a filly by Peter Volo, American’s greatest sire, whose stud foe is £2OO per mare. There are exceptions to every rule, but the above scribe is apparently not aware that Peter Volo was got by Peter the Great, a direct descendant of Hambletonian (10), whose sire, Abdullah, was got by Mambrino, a sou of the thoroughbred Messenger from a mare by_ the thoroughbred Sourkrout. Amanzonia, the dam of Abdullah, was got by a grandson of Messnger from a grand-daughter of Messenger. The Charles Kent mare, who is the dam of Hambletonian (10) was got by the thoroughbred Bellfounder from a mare by Messenger, and second dam, also by Messenger. It will be seen that one of the greatest sires in the world to-day docs not trace to house-resting on foundations of unidentified grains of sand, but, on the contrary, solidly built on a bedrock of thoroughbred blood. In addition, one may ask for the names of two or three leading sires who do not trace in tail male to a thoroughbred base. —[Sentinel.]