TROTTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25393, 26 November 1943, Page 4

TROTTING NOTES

Owing to a bereavement in the owner s family, First Royal will not be started at Forbury Park to-morrow. Happy Man won in 4min 22 3-ssec at the Trotting Cup meeting, and is on 4min 30sec in the King George Handicap at Forbury Park. He has to give 36 yards to Gold Flight, who won at Addington in 41 G01d 23 Flight retains his position as favourite for the King George Handicap, in which' he is on a 4min 33sec mark. At the Trotting Cup meeting Gold Flight won on the first day in 4min 23 2-ssec and on the second day in 4min 24 4-ssec. He had a two-length margin in his favour at the finish of each race. Brackets at Forbury Park are as foi-‘ lows:—Artillery Handicap: Hop Off and Indian Arrow. Army Handicap: Gold Rosette and Special Effort. King George Handicap: Erinack and Worthy Cross. Freyberg Handicap: Cold Steel and Punctual, First Royal and Lord Brent. Dominion Handicap: Hop Off and Indian Arrow. Churchill Handicap: Erinack and Worthy Cross. The contemplated improvements at the Addington course are planned on a large scale. The objection against a lengthy extension of tenure does not carry much weight, as there is plenty of vacant ground close to Christchurch which could meet residential requirements for a century or more. The same objection could be raised against theatres occupying valuable space in the heart of the city on which business premises cculd be erected. The proposal to amalgamate the three clubs is not a new idea, as it has been advocated for many years. The danger of doing so is that it may result in the loss of permits or racing days, but the vast revenue derived from trotting should safeguard any possible loss in that direction. New Brighton will always retain popularity as a training centre, but Addington is much more convenient for the sporting public. The greatest improvement that could be carried out at Addington would be the enlarging of the racetrack, thus giving New Zealand horses an opportunity to equal the performances of those in the United States, where the world’s records are compiled. A seven-furlong circuit at Addington would be quite big enough to enable a horse to gather and hold the speed which the American cracks put up on a mile circuit. On the present sixfurlcng track Lawn Derby and Gold Bar have shown better than a two-minute speed, and others have closely approached it.