TROTTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23364, 2 December 1937, Page 19

TROTTING NOTES

By Sentinel. Answer to Correspondent “ inquirer,” Dunedin. —No record of such a performance. , A Bonus A contribution of £IOO will be made towards the expenses of any Australian horse coming over tor tne championships. Why? Why is it that horses able to win in fast time get beaten in slow time at the same meeting? This was noticeable at the ?]prbury Park meeting. Plutus Plutus won in slow time on the second day at Forbury, but went 21 2-ssec on the first day, when second to Big Author. Plutus is on a 4mm Slsec mark in the Mace Memorial Handicap. The Basis of Betting

A factor contributing to the shrinkage in the totalisator returns at Forbury Park last week was supplied by the fields being smaller than at last year’s spring meeting. In other words, the basis for betting was not so good as last year. A Filly Foal

A filly by Grattan Loyal from Sunranes has been bred by Mr Houston, North Otago Sunranes was got by Sungod from Queen Pet, by General Pet—Harold’s Rest, by King Harold— Polly, by Robin Hood from a Quicksilver mare Sandusky

The three-year-old pacer Sandusky apparently lost his form after, his‘win at the Wellington Trotting Club's New Zealand Cup Trial meeting and although he ran third in the New Zealand Derby Stakes he was possibly not at his best. On his return to Takanini it was decided to give him a spell, and he will not fulfil his eneasement in the New Zealand Champion Staked, to be decided at Ashburton jn Boxing Day. His trainer, F. J. Smith, who has a strong team engaged at Auckland during the holidays, hopes to get him fit to contest the Futurity Stakes, which is one of the star events on the Ashburton Club’s programme for its autumn meeting. Supertax

By his splendid achievement at Forbury Park Supertax is entitled to be recognised as one of the best sprinters which has appeared in New Zealand. It even surpassed his impressive victory over the best horses in commission in the Free-for-all at Addington in November. At Forbury he paced the TO furlongs in 2min 38 4-ssec after having to travel on the outside of two sulkies at the bend for home. He was separately timed to cover the concluding four furlongs in 58 4-ssec (says the

Star-Sun), which is phenomenal speed that has only been bettered by two horses in a race, namely, Indianapolis and Harold Logan, which have private watch figures of 58sec to their credit. Supertax’s record was 3 3rssec better than the previous best accomplished at Forbury, and one that earned the full appreciation of the Dunedin public.

Misleading Titles In nine out of 10 trotting races, winners and placed horses are repeatedly found improving their handicaps by several seconds. In most cases they have to register times well within their handicaps, but too much emphasis is placed on performances of this nature. Some of the times registered at Forbury Park last week were many seconds faster than the handicap marks of the respective winners and place-getters. It is pointed out by a number that these horses had so many seconds to spare. This idea is altogether wrong (says the Southland Times), and the sooner it is corrected the better it will be for a number of followers of trotting. It is erroneous to say that because a novice wins in 3min 23sec from a 3min 43sec mile and a-half mark he has 20 seconds to spare on his handicap. In most cases the novice had nothing to spare, for had he not recorded 3min 23sec more than likely he would have been beaten. A 3min 23sec mile and a-half performance for a maiden would be a good one, but to lead people to believe that a horse has anything to spare -on its mark is incorrect. Since the present handicapping system was , brought into operation fast times have been a feature of light-harness racing, and this was one of the aims of the system. The fact that practically all winners are required to race well within their handicaps makes handicap marks count for very little, and only valuable as a means by which a basis is taken to bring a field together. If, as some say, certain horses have as much to spare on their handicaps as has been pointed out, it would be little use anyone else taking a horse to the races. If a horse was unable to race several seconds within his handicap, then, in these days, he would be a hopeless proposition.

Trotting Records* In Australia practically all our racing is on the handicap system. Thus our champions when competing are handicapped to cover a greater distance than the length of the race in which they appear. For handicapping purposes throughout Australia (with the exception of South Australia) and New Zealand. 12 yards to the second is the 1 basis marks are framed on. That principle may be suitable for handicapping purposes, but (says the Victorian Trotting Record) it is not correct when working out the records of the very fast horses. When the conferences of the leading bodies appeared as though they would be regular features of Australian trotting, I had hopes that we would in a short time have a very exacting list of Australian pacing and trotting records over all distances checked and published. In America almost from the time the first three-minute trotter appeared separate records have been kept of times recorded over various distances, on both mile and half-mile tracks, by trotters and pacers of each sex and age. So much attention is given to this matter’ that there is never any doubt as to what the records were or are at the present. Unfortunately the conferences from which we expected so much have, like a tired horse nearing the end of a race, faded into insignificance. There should, however, be an Australian Trotting, and Pacing Records Committee in some form, which could issue after research a correct list of Australian records. For the purposes of these records times would have to be worked out mathematically, It is ridiculous, for instance, where a horse paces around an average of, say, 2min lOsec in a race, to deduct time for the extra distance covered from a back mark as though it were paced at a 2min 26sec rate. The average time must cover the whole journey. Our outstanding performers are becoming faster, and travel at better than 13 yards to the second, and when records are at stake the correct method should be adopted.