TROTTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22903, 10 June 1936, Page 13

TROTTING NOTES

By Sentinel, Tasmania During the present season £BSOO will be distributed in stakes at the principal meetings held in Tasmania. Trotting Association A meeting of the board of the New Zealand Trotting Association will be held on Friday at 7.30 p.m. Concliff Concliff, the Dunedin Trotting Cup winner of 1928, after being at the stud in Tasmania, has been transferred to South Australia. His first crop of foals got in Tasmania are rising three years old £2OOO Claim It is reported that a writ has been issued on behalf of a reinsman claiming £2OOO against the S.A. Trotting Association. The plaintiff is alleging that a defective running rail caused the mishap whereby he lost the sight of an eye. A Holiday Mr J. P. Stratton, president of the West.Anstralian Trotting Association, left Perth at the latter part of , last month on a trip to New Zealand. Mr Stratton expects to be absent from Perth for about two months, and before he left said that it was in the minds of his committee to put forward events to attract horses to the interdominion trotting championships in Adelaide in February and later to induce championship contenders to race in W.A. Mr Stratton will probably discuss a similar matter with other State organisations to make the trip for visiting horses, notably New Zealanders, more attractive. An American Trotter

Pantine, who will contest the Longbeach Handicap at Ashburton on Saturday, is a six-year-old American-bred mare, trained by R. B. Berry for the Wellington sportsman Mr S. W. Kelly. Fantine has not yet faced the starter in an actual race, but at the last matinee meeting she was given a run in the Maiden Trotters’ Race. She left an impression of possessing plenty of speed, but a tendency to break under pressure. Fantine has been given plenty of time to mature, and it is only reasonable to suppose (says the Press) that Berry has corrected to a certain extent her unsteadiness of gait. There is little of proved merit on the limit opposed to Fantine, and a good beginning may find her in _ front from the start. Berry’s stable is represented in every race at Ashburton, and. besides Fantine, he has Relinking in the Trial Handicap, Grace M’Elwyn in the Ashburton County Handicap. Valdor in the Acton and Winter Handicaps, King’s Guard and Reward in the Mayfield Handicap, and Lucky Jack in the Tinwald Handicap.

A Helping Hand It will* be readily admitted that lightharness races are out of place on a hunt programme, but the same remark is equally applicable to race clubs’ programmes. It has, however, been found through many years’ experience 'that so far as the South Island is concerned light-harness races have become a very valuable asset to racing clubs whose programmes might not draw eight fields of flat racers. The two branches of sport have become strongly dovetailed, and to their mutual advantage. The North Island delegates at the last Racing Conference were not in sympathy with lightharness racing, but their opinions should not be allowed to overrule long-estab-fished conditions in the South Isiand. The president of the Racing Conference expressed himself as against the inclusion of light-harness races on racing programmes, but might weaken in that direction if better acquainted with the conditions in the South Island. If the racing clubs concerned are alive to their own interests they will support thb hunt clubs in the effort to restore the trotters’ races.when deemed necessary to strengthen a programme. Failing the support suggested it may come about that the trotter will be deleted from the racing clubs’ cards. A Veteran

Many have tried but nobody lias yet satisfactorily solved the reason why horses improve and gain a new lease of life when brought to Western Australia. But improve they do, and this applies to gallopers as well as trotters. Nelson M’Cormack. winner of the Bridgetown Handicap (scratch mark 2min 21sec) at Gloucester Park on Saturday, May 16, is a case in point. He came to Perth as a nine-year-old in 1929. at an age when most horses are past their prime, and although not immediately successful, he captured two races in the next season at 10 years of age. Then followed a lean period of three years without a win. In fact, it was not until the end of the next year that he was able to collect a winning stake. During that period he started in 90 unsuccessful races, and none but a super-optimist would have persevered with the ancient son of Nelson Bingen. That man was his present owner-reinsraau, i Mr J. Jeffrey, and it is pleasing to re- •

late that during the current year the old horse has registered four firsts, three seconds, and one third out of 19 starts. He has won seven times in 114 starts. Nelson M'Cormack was bred by Mrs M. Duncan, of Fendalton, New Zealand, and in the land of his birth must have been a useful horse, for he came to Perth witn a record of 2min 12Jsec. Despite the good figures to his credit, the son of Nelson Bingen was not harshly treated by the W.A.T.A. handicapper, who placed him on a 2min 16sec mark. Even with this advantage Nelson M'Cormack was not able to turn it to good account, as his tabulated record discloses. Despite his belated rush into the winning list, Nelson M'Cormack has earned distinction during his West Australian sojourn. He has figured in the only triple dead heat recorded in Perth trotting. This occurred on November 15, 1930, when the judge was unable to separate Ella Derby, Red Derby, and Nelson M'Cormack. On that occasion he recorded a 2min 15|sec rate.