TROTTING NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25798, 20 March 1945, Page 9

TROTTING NOTES

By Sentinel ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT

"Lucky Scott,” Leith Valley.—(l) Max Scott, five years, U. Scott—May Chennult; Bill Scott, aged, U. Scott —Sarella; Commander Scott, four years, U. Scott— May Chenault. 12) No information on relationship.

Auckland horses booked to race at Addington are Betty Boop, Gallant Maid, Black Label, and Syncopate. Highland Fling Is already at Addington. Cheval d’Or, the winner of the Wyndham Trotting Cup, is an aged gelding by Rey de Oro—Erin’s Princess, by Wrack —Erin's Logan, by Logan Pointer—lnnisI'ail, by Rothschild. Integrity shaped very well in his race at New Brighton on Saturday. They went the first mile in 2min 14 l-ssec, and a mile and e-half in 3min 15 3-ssec. Integrity lost ground at the start. The best view of a race is obtained from an elevated stationary position. At Addington two extra stands should be built, one at the middle of the back stretch and the other at the home turn. No fewer than three stipendiary stewards should be in attendance, two on the track stands and one on the stewards stand. A strong effort should be made to keep down the size of fields, and horses who do not race with reasonable consistency should be the first to be eliminated The suggested supervision should be sufficient to keep the racing above So many more or less elaborate Ideas have been suggested in order to gjve officials an improved view oi the running of a light-harness race that one would gather the impression that there is some cause for suspicion about what takes P'ace in a race. The latest suggestion is that a field should be followed by officials in an onen truck. Some years ago a carload of officials followed the field running in a steeplechase at Wingatni, but the practice was dropped without any offic al opinion being published as to its value. The car churned up deep ruts which created an element of danger to the occupants. The idea of following a field in a car was probably dropped because i better view can be obtained of a race from a stationary position than by racing with the horses in a car. S.me few vpars ago at Hollywood Park, in California a photographic record of each race was taken in its entirety. The device used was a vibrationless moiion pictuie camera attached to a pair of binoculars, me bring placed in each of eight p-trol officials’ Stands. Each official took pictures whpn the horses were about lit) yaras away and the camera was kept rupmng untif the horses were the same distance npvond each post. After the last isu» lhr» films were developed, and the i]ext nmrffing the 6 officials saw a slow-motion record cf the race.