TROTTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23223, 22 June 1937, Page 14

TROTTING NOTES

By Sentinel

Automatic Handicapping There was a big fuss about King’s Play and the Adams Memorial Handicap. Our M'Kinney meets King’s Play on 24 yards worse terms in the Mark Memorial Handicap. So Near, So Far F. J. Smith, the wizard of Auckland, did not win a race on the first day of the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting, but managed to reach a place in six of the seven races on the card.

Bad Going, Good Betting It is rather interesting to note that, although a favourite did not win during the day at the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting the investments rose from £18,958 to £33,121. Bad going does not encourage betting.

Flora M'Kinney Flora M'Kinney, the dam of Our M’Kinney, the winner of the Adams Memorial Handicap, is in volume V of the Stud Book. She was got by Young M’Kinney. Our M’Kinney was got by Our Thorpe. The Edwairas Stable

It is reported that, while M. B. Edwards has placed Twos Loose on the easy list since the Ashburton meeting, he has brought.several horses, including War Buoy, Gamble, Frisco Boy, Frisco Lady and Nobleman, back to work, and they are being given light exercise in preparation for the new season.

Belated Inquiry * ■ Another instance of a belated inquiry appears to have occurred at Auckland. King’s Play started favourite for the Adams Memorial Handicap. He broke and did not complete the race. If a question had been asked then and an explanation posted, it might have encouraged those who backed him in the first race to follow on and so save a demonstration. Failure of Favourites

Heavy going on the first day of the Auckland Trotting Club’s meeting upset calculations, as a favourite failed to score a win during the day. Five of the winners were on the front mark and two scored from 12yds behind. In four races a favourite did not finish in a place, and the fact would not help to smooth the ruffled feelings of the crowd when demonsti’ating after the last race on the card. The Sapling Stakes

Although the first three places in the Sapling Stakes were this year filled by the favourites, the first selection on the win machine, Sandusky, the virtual favourite, had to accept second place and add another name to the long list of public selections that have failed in the two-year-old contest. A search of the records discloses (says the StarSun) that the last favourite to win was Nantwich away back in 1925. Since then all first selections have failed to gain the main honour, though some of them were unlucky. In 1926 the third favourite, Richore, defeated Haydock, who was second favourite, and Acre, the first choice, was third. The 1927 winner was the second • favourite, Enawah, with the first selection, Vestas, out of a place (states “ Ribbonwood ”). Sonoma Child, third in demand, defeated the favourites, Grand Light and Wrackler, in 1928, and the 1929 victor was the sixth favourite, John Jinks. An even-money proposition that year. Grand Canyon, ran a bad' race and was one of the last to finish. The same ;fate befell Red Shadow’s supporters in 1930. He ran off the course at the straight entrance, but at the time had no chance of catching Arethusa, the third favourite, who won narrowly ;from an outsider in Gold Chips. Silver de Oro. seventh favourite, downed Tempest, who shared favouritism with his stable-mate Giro in 1931, and the following year an Odds-on chance in Indianapolis had to strike his colours to the ninth favourite. Taxpayer. Then came* War Buoy. This subsequent three-year-old champion was only third favourite, in second place being Village Guy, who had most support in a strong field. Gamble met with bad luck at the start of the 1934 race, for which he was favourite, victory going to the third in demand. Moana Tama. In 1935, Double Groat, coupled with three others, was a firm favourite over Frisco Lady, who easily defeated Gaillard, with Double Groat only a fair third. Parisienne, last year’s winner, was less in demand than the minor place-fillers. Frisco Boy and Southern Chief, the last-named being a strong favourite. There is nothing surprising in Ifco defeat of favourites in a race of this kind. Many of the winners were privately trained, and some of them, particularly those that show early speed, are liable to be training off oh the day of the race.

KING’S PLAY INCIDENT

PLACINGS TO STAND

(Pen United Press Association > AUCKLAND, June 21

“ The evidence produced by the owner, Mr Wilfred Johnstone, and confirmed by the totalisator proprietors, shows that the connections of King’s Play had a substantial investment in the Adams Memorial Cup and a much smaller investment in the Cornwall Handicap. It is the unanimous opinion of the stewards that the plaeings of the judge in the Cornwall Handicap shall stand.”

This was the decision of the Judicial Committee of the Auckland Trotting Club this morning after an inquiry into the running of King’s Play in the Adams Cup and the Cornwall Handicap at Alexandra Park on Saturday. In the former event, in which ne was a staunch favourite, he failed to pace evenly over the first mile and a-quartcr, and was then pulled up, being nearly a Airlong behind the leaders.

Seen after the inquiry, Mr Johnstone stated that the hopples used on King’s Play were fairly new, and during the race stretched from two to three inches beyond the proper length which the horse requires. After the race, with the permission

o ;' the stipendiary steward, the hopples were lightened up to the last length, and in consequence the gelding was able to pace much more evenly. Incidentally, King’s Play cut himself badly on the off fore coronet in the cup, and permission was sought to put a quarter boot on him prior to the Cornwall Handicap, but it could not be granted, for under the rules he had to compete in the same gear in which he ran in the cup. Mr Johnstone added that he had £6O on King’s Play, £SO for a win and £lO for a place, in the cup, but no investment on him in the second start. However, his son Wallace had £ls on the gelding in the Cornwall Handicap, while the driver. M. Stewart, had £5.