TROTTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22284, 9 June 1934, Page 19

TROTTING NOTES

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Vlhe; two+year-old by Ray" de Oro— Highstepper. in the New 1 Zealand 'Sapling Stakes will race under the -name of Floodlight. ■"..'■'..'. •/ .'• i;■;■ Recent registrations" of mares for stud purposes only registered with the New Zealand.'- Trotting Association include Choice, by Logan Pointer—Tit Bits, and Gleam, by Key de - ; "The Waikato; Agricultural and .Pastoral Association has: decided/to: accept £200; in settlement of its'claim against the Waikato Trotting l Glub: for £3s3'for rent. The remission was made' after representatives of the club had placed the club's financial position before the association executive". ~The deaths reported to. the Trotting Associatioh'include that of Bertha Belle, one of the imost successful brood mares ever identified with light-harness racing in NeWr Zealand. She was foaled in 1909 and imported to New Zealand by Mr h. X.-Lejievre.- Bertha Belle's' foals include Bell Bingen, WorthyNßingeh, Great Birigen,.Peter,Bingen,:Bessie Birigeh, Bertha Bingen.'XSrea't Peter,' Baton Bingen, Great Nelsoi), a'nd : Great Parrish: . She was bred ,to -Nelson Bingen for- several seasons, and in -two consecutive years produced, two remarkably fine racers in- Great "Bingen and; Peterrßingeir: .;The ; impprtatiOri. of Bertha :Belle has greatly enriched jfche Trotting Stud Book, and; her name will live ,-on< as\ the vfpun tain "source of facehorses,, stallions,- and■ brood mares.' Bertha Belle was"got:,by:tbe great sire Pester the - Great; from'Corona Mao: - Peter- the Great-also "got Wrack, Peter MokcyPetereta. Peter: Chenault; and Great-Audubon. ' J.-. Fraser.ojun., ; a young, reinsmah with a lot of experience, attached s to W. J. Tonikinson's st^ble, ; was. given a chance to skbw.Jiis ability, in .-the sulky when >he w«s-given,the driyingj;behjnd .Biddy Parfish at ■ Addingtbh.. >Hck was set a--, severe test; for Biddy Par fish isiayery, peculiar raare.to drive, and.to;;get.the, best out of her apian iriust be : gif ted with irofr nerves ahdUbe patience of Job. VFraser.proVed that he had both'these: attributes to- good driving. "Whilethe" crowd, including many experienced.•reinsm'en,', were- advising him to:"let:her7go,";Fraser sat like a statue, although >he. was. steadily, losing ■ ground, and it was not until the,mare was perfectly balanced and willing to do the work in her own way that he ever allowed her to stride, along. It was a display; of patience and good judgment (says the Press) that is not often shown by a driver,-.however experienced he may be. Here again 'arises the question .of the licensing of-'drivers. It is safe- to say that 'certain drivers - at. the meeting jeopardised the chances of: their horses thrdughr was anything but clever,;ahd it would; have paid a number of 'trainers - to have - put in the sulky" men of the calibre of Fraser, M. Holmes, "0.-S. King, S. A. Edwards, ior any one of s a dozen others who watched the:majority of:the racse-from .the grand stand. The driving • fee; for a loser was a very 'moderate one in the low-stake race?M '■and ■■> it rwillv be -noted -that with the"-': exception of i two .events the whole programme wag.won hT drivers, who,would be in the ; Arclasß:if;;a; rule gradingthe femsmeh-;were..'in :force.. .■- <".■■■,-.-■ ■ ■ '"'' .. A;horse is. deemed thoroughbred when it' is r eligible for. the Stud Book/ and the same applies- to ir trotting or pacing bred horses . A halfbredieithef one way; or the other: cannot be.deemed purebred,, but it is recognised, by all authorities .that the thoroughbred h the dominating influence in. the'r production of speed. The fact -that many of the fastest pacers of recent'years/show the thoroughbred ,m their 'pedigree >i a generally accepted «« beneficial- to' their racing' prospects. For instance, Harold .Logan, the champion of the - southern : hemisphere;, is rich in thoroughbred blood.' If' it■ were not. that the hoppled pacer "is a.' better racing machine than theunhoppled trotter many of 'the fast pacers. might be; faced free;; legged. The possibilitiesv in that '■■- direction are ; displayed by Wrackler. '* Rfbbonwood" allows himself considerable latitude in claiming Oakleigh as v "trotting or pacing-bred horse." He/quotes " Spectator" thatVOakleigh's dam was got by a standard-bred trotting sire,.but the same writer goes on to.say:, " Jt is any odds that there is. thoroughbred; blood in 1 her dam's make up as well, as her standard-bred sit'e. Thia is .«>' bit yague, but suggests that^therewas thoroughbred than the trotter^ in,Oakieigh's pedigree. ;6ome .. standard-bred sire* can show a- good deal of thoroughbred blood in- their ;pedigrees v Oakleigh was got by St. Amans, a son- of the atSimon horse Soult, and the Auckland Cup winner Lottie, a daughter of the Musket horse Muskapeer. Soult was one or the most, successful sires ever- imported to New Zealand, and: it; would; be safe to claim that the thoroughbred in Oakleigh' pedigree' completely counteracted the trotting;strain (unnamed by the way).- Swindasa was, at best, .a good hunter. He was got by,St; Swithin, from the thoroughbred; mafe Kildasa, by Kilcheran—ldasa,. by Seaton' Delaval—lda, by King Coleeßragela, by, Panic. St. S within, was got by Rothschild-—Queen- Y ;., by Kentucky—Harold's Rest;. by .King Harold- from' Polly,'; whose' j second and third dafflii were by thoroughbred horses in "Robin Hood and' Quicksilver: £ Yorkshire Hero, the sire; of King Harolds dam, the writer: was informed, by a.relation of King Harold's owner .during the DJ.C. winter meeting -ranked ■■■.«' ■;s thoroughbred. It could; thus be .claimed that Swindasa is inbredto the .thoroughbred, but the influence' of the trotter, stopped him from- being a.racehorse. He never won a race so far as: can be found, but the same baleful influence not have such disastrous,, efiect on Oakleigh; It is safe; to say 1 that there was ;never a ■ horse; in the world that could repeat Oakleigb's form over fences. "Ribbonwood" quotes: three horses Up. Oakleigh, Swinda, and Rodger. Thertwo first-named cannot be classed as trottingbred, and [Rodger, so for as the records show, may have been bfed-.-.on• the same lines as Oakleigh in the reverse way. Rodger started in two races for one win. He and the others named do not supply sufficient evidence to substantiate the claim that a trotting-bred horse, in the strict sense of the term, can win amongst the gallopers. In fact, it could be,claimed that racing history does not present one solitary case where, a'. trotter or pacer could win' amongst a sfcond •■ class field, of thoroughbreds. On the. other hand, thoroughbreds . have won amongst the trotters. .;'.". \: _