TROTTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22826, 10 March 1936, Page 7

TROTTING NOTES

By Sentinel.

Reminder Acceptances for the Timaru Trotting Chib’s autumn meeting are due to-night. Worked in Saddle The grey pacing gelding Racketeer is being given a course of saddle work. Graham Direct’s Half-Sister The two-year-old half-sister to Graham Direct has been named Becky Direct. Iraq Resumes Iraq freshened up appreciably during his enforced spell and he is again among the regular workers at headquarters. Futurity Stakes Candidate The two-year-old colt Southern Chief is in excellent order to contest the Futurity Stakes at Timaru next Saturday. Radiant Prince The good-looking pacer Radiant Prince is among the active horses at Addington, where he is being prepared for suitable events. He appears to have made a complete recovery from an injury.

A Promising Novice A. Cox is occupying himself at Addington with a two-year-old trotter by Travis Axworthy from Mercedes. This gelding has the gift to trot, and although in the elementary stages one would pick him to make good. He is a brother to Royal Travis, and is owned bv Mr G. R. Hudson. Dunedin. , Select 2min Ssec List The Australian and New Zealand 2min ssec list is ns follows:—lndianapolis,2min 1 2-ssec: Walla Walla, 2min 2 2-ssec; Auburn Lad, 2min 2 2-ssec; New Derby, 2min 2isec; Evicns, 2min Ssec; Acron, 2min 3 3-ssec: Worthy Queen, 2min 3 3-ssec (trotting); Realm. 2min 3 4-ssec: Happy Voyage, 2min 4 l-ssec: Native Chief, 2min 4 l-ssec; Impromptu, 2min 4 l-ssee; Walla Walla, 2min 4 I-ssec (race, standing start); Logan Chief, 2min 4 2-ssec; Harold Logan. 2min 4 2-ssec; Great Bingen, 2min 4 4-ssec; Red Shadow. 2min 4 4-ssec. Of these, the only ones put up in races, besides Walla Walla’s 2min 4 l-ssec, were Acron’s 2min 3 3-ssee, Realm’s 2min 3 4-ssec, Logan Chief’s 2niin 4 2-ssec, Harold Logan’s 2min 4 2-sscc (standing start), and Red Shadow’s 2min 4 4-ssec (standing start). Native Chief and Great Bingen made their records in a match from a flying start. Championship Features

Accordhut to a Melbourne writer the three outstanding features of the racing at the Inter-Dominion Championships were:—(l) Logan Derby, the only undefeated horse of the series, is Hie best horse of his height—l4.3,J—Australia has seen; (2) Evicus, who was awarded the title of grand champion, is the fastestperformed mare that has been produced in the country, and (3) New Derby, the unlucky horse of the carnival, is a fitting rival to the great Walla Walla. The general opinion of experienced trotting men from the eastern states and New Zealand. and a few who had witnessed the sport in America, was that the events could not have been excelled. It was definitely the best trotting _ that Australia has known. The idea of dividing the field for the championship into heats of not more than seven (except in the grand final when nine competed) proved an exceptionally good move. It reduced interference to a minimum, and provided the opportunity for the best horse off the mark to win. and the fastest horse in the race to show its speed.

Mile Records from 1903 It was away hack in 1903 that Ribbonwood was the first pacer or trotter in New Zealand and Australia to break 2min lOscc. His time, 2niin 9sec, was bettered by Ids son, King Cole, who went 2min 8 3-ssec in 1911, Emmeline a year later registered the same time as King Cole at Forbury Park, and in 1916 the new figures of 2min 7 l-ssec were made by Country Belle. The following year Adelaide Direct set the main at 2min 6 2-ssec, and the following season Our Thorpe lowered it to 2min 6 l-ssec. This was reduced in 191!) by Author Dillon, who went 2min 6scc, also against time, at Addington. Those figures stood for four years, when Happy Voyage set a high standard by registering 2min 4 l-ssec at Addington, a time that he repeated at Epsom the same year. Acron, in winning the Free-for-All in 1924, made the then wonderful time of 2min 3 3-ssec, which still stands as a race record. The next horse to break it was Walla Walla, who went 2min 2 2-sscc on the Harold Park (Sydney) half-mile cinder track, against time. This was equalled by Auburn Lad at Addington a year later. And. lastly, in the presence of his Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester, the mighty Indianapolis set the main at 2min I 2-sscc.

Impromptu’s Farewell Impromptu, according to a definite report, has been retired because of the paucity of opportunities in the North Island. This “ ugly duckling ’’ of the lightharness world could neither trot nor pace as a young horse, and after being branded useless by two other trainers, he was purchased by Mr C. Moran for £45. Moran reformed him in next to no time, and for this small outlay and trouble Impromptu rewarded him with 18 wins, and 16 places, worth £3323 in stakes. At Claudclands two years ago Impromptu equalled Happy Voyage’s world's grass track record by registering 2min 4 l-sscc for a mile. Impromptu put up some great performances on grass tracks, but he let his party down rather badly several times when raced on

the dirt track at Addington. He had gait peculiarities that often manifested themselves at the most inconvenient times, and it is a tribute to Moran’s patient methods that the big son of Pedro Pronto and Petrova rose to such great heights. Impromptu will spend the rest of his days at Pukekohe, where he will bo used as a hack by the well-known Auckland owner, Mr W. Hoskings. But one is always prepared for the return of old champions, as so many of them, notably Jewel Pointer, entered into competition with Dame Melba for “farewells.”