CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Otago Witness, Volume 06, Issue 1986, 6 March 1890, Page 28

CANTERBURY DOINGS.

Bt RATA. The Canterbury Trotting Club held a meeting at the show grounds on Saturday, and though the afternoon sport only produced one really good finish the trotting was perhaps up' to the average of that seen on the same track

previously. I do not particularly care for the formation of the course, however, and neither do I care for the formation of Lancaster Park. Both these tracks are much too circular for the extent of their circumference, and, immaterial of going, both Heathcote and New Brighton are better for trotting purposes, in so far as they give longer stretches of straight away racing. Perhaps in the matter of actual going only Lancaster Park is the best of the quartette. I believe it is so, but it is very evident nevertheless that Lancaster Park constitutes a far better cinder path for pedestrian competitions than it does a model track for trotting contests ; two good straights are necessary for harness trotting over half mile courses, and even over courses a bit beyond half a mile. Heathcote and New Brighton are considerably longer tracks than either Lancaster Park or the Canterbury Troting Club's ground, and both at Heathcote and New Brighton there is a lot of straight going. These, however, are too small on the circuit for fiat raoing or hurdle racing by comparison with first olass racecourses— in which category the Forbury cannot be included in regard to formation and distance — but Heathcote and New Brighton are the best trotting tracks about? here when meteorological conditions admit of good going. Yet neither will ever be a first-class trotting track until the colony develops sufficiently to admit of two traoks on eaoh course ; with the best trotters in the world trotters cannot be seen in the acme of excellence on a racing track.

Shortly after I first knew the Forbury I argued that a mistake was made in not having it railed all round the ditch on the inside. Indeed, on the occasion of a first conversation with a racehorse owner at the Forbury — one who certainly knows raoing in Otago and Canterbury, should he never have seen it in a more perfect form— l recollect being ridiculed on remarking that I supposed a chain was pat up round the ditch at race times. Even Dunedin trainers seem to think that an absence of rails is no disadvantage to the course ; but I fancy that must be a result of usage, and since the D.J.C. Autumn meeting I have heard several adverse criticisms in regard to a lack of rails round the ditoh ; and beyond the circus-like formation of the course that is its only imperfect feature. The Forbury course is not liked by Riccarton trainers, and there is no getting away from the fact that there is a great difference between the Christchurch and Dunedia courses. With a big field like that whioh started for the Newmarket Handicap at the V.R O. Autumn meeting on Saturday there would bo very considerable odds against a good sprinter showing his true form over six furlongs at the Forbury, and perhaps many living men will yet see such fields start for events of equal value at the premier fixtures of the D J.C. There even appears to be a lot greater difference in the racing originally held at Ocean Beach in comparison with the present Publicans' Handioap than the now perceptible difference in the Publicans' and Newmarket Handicaps. With a Newmarket Handicap field, too— similar quantity and quality— how many would be pushed into the ditch at the Forbury ?

It appears that the mile trot instituted by the D.J.C. at the Exhibition meeting was hardly successful; at any rate in the list of nominations and races published to-day (Monday) that distance has been departed from and the old distances— two miles and three miles— adopted in the programme of the Anniversary meeting. Executives do not believe in mile trotting, evidently, even the executives of trotting clubs, but should trotting develop with anything like the rapidity of raoing mile trotting will become common enough in programmes presently. Classification* is also requisite in trotting, and that was introduced in a mild way at the show grounds on Saturday in the Two-mile Handioap Limit Trot. A system of classification is the only way to prohibit the palpable and uninteresting processions now so conspicuous in trotting, and such a system of classification would be very unlikely to affect nominations materially in any way.

Even a good two-mile trot — that is, a close finishi-under present conditions is not as interesting as it ought to be, and in a majority of instances its interest only commences when the winning post is nearly reached. The best race on Saturday, fot instance, at the show grounds was the last one— a two-mile Handicap Pony Trot with a 60sec handicap. Shakespeare, a nice pony, well known in the neighbourhood as an uncommonly good trotter, was scratch, and when the field was fairly started he was more than half a circuit behind the limit nag. Twilight, the ultimate winner, with 45sec start from scratch, speedily went to the front and remained there, and though Shakespeare ran a slashing second the interest of the race to the many did not commence until about a circuit from home, and the two miles meant five times round and a distance. It was a good trot over about a couple of f urlonge, but beyond that it was uninteresting from a spectacular point of view in so far as the public generally was concerned. That race was a good one all over for the few who could gauge the various candidates' pace and positions with any degree of accuracy, and who had sufficient acumen to distinguish triers from " stiff " horses, but that few always comprise a very infinitesimal portion of the public who is very rightly compelled to support raoing and trotting through the influence of the totalisator ; they are mostly professional people who very early discover the superior value ot pounds, shillings, and pence to the momentary infatuation whioh fascinates the true sportsman, or the passionless coldness which charms the existence of the true gambler. The coldest of all men is the true gambler, and when in the vein he will stake his "bottom dollar " on merest fane* Some good dividends were paid a! the Canterbury Trotting Club's meeting on Saturday, but I hardly think the recent restrictions placed on the trottingclubsin regard to stakes will work well in a promotion of that class of sport. It is undoubtedly true that a majority of the trotting clubs are proprietary concerns, but the executives of these clubs are the only people who have really taken trotting in hand, and bar the best metropolitan clubs, such as the D. J.C. and 0.J.C., I fancy the trotting executives are just as competent to manage trotting as the racing executives are competent to manage racing. I have referred to this subject frequently, and I am firmly of opinion that no racing club whatsoever should be invested with any power beyond the conduct of its own meeting unless it be a metropolitan club, and in the event of a New Zealand Jockey Club being created I fancy that even a curtailment of the power of metropolitan clubs would do no harm. Yet the smallest of the metropolitan clubs appear to be considerably in front of the minor racing clubs in point of management and decision.

The inferiority of driving and riding trotters is very frequently made apparent in the vicinity of Ohristchurch when a good jockey or driver commences to operate on even an inferior trotter. Charlie Stratford rode Oakleigh in two races on Saturday, for example, and though the great inferiority of the nag prohibited him getting home on either occasion the difference of manipulation was very palpable. Charlie Stratford is just about as far in front of the genus rider of trotters in Canterbury as Tom Cannon would be in fro jit of an ordinary Riccarton or Forbury stable boy on a ref raotory two-

year-old. As a matter of fact, riders, drivers, trotters, and trainers of trotters together want a lot of teaching or natural improvement ere trotting will see anything like perfection in New Zealand.

British Lion is improving rapidly, Billy Butler tells me, and no doubt that , young trainer will have,. several, more- of Mr Hungeriford's horses in, charge presently. There is no '4oub,t that that sportsman's horses can be trained better at Riccarton than they can be on the West Coast, and their merits can be tested more easily too, and that is a considerable advantage in the training of racers.

All through the season there have been several horses located in town that work on the racecourse tracks at Riccarton, and I fancy that the walk up and down does not do them any harm. When the roads are fairly good walking straight away like that must be a bit better than walking round the centre of the course, and from the time some nags are usually exercised they can get very little walking exercise before being stripped and galloped. That may not affect them very prejudicially, but a good walk prior to exercise can do a horse no injury, and a good many trainers do not care to gallop their charges without a considerable amount of walking exercise previously, and at big meetings I have frequently noticed that strings of horses having tp walk some way to their exercise grounds, often look more pink than those who go bang out of their stables on to their galloping tracks.

Meteor is a horse now located in town and trained at Bicoarton, and he looks fairly well in himself and ought to be able to earn his oats should he stand. Squib was located in town and trained at Riccarton for a considerable period, and she was an unsound mare, but the road did not seem to affect her very greatly, and I do not know that a certain class of horses could not be kept in town and brought out to Riccarton every morning with a certain degree of advantage.

Lunn has got Chain Shot out again, but he has not been doing much work yet. He looks fairly well, and he maybe able to net a good race ; there is no doubt whatever about his capacity when pink, and both really pink it is a moral certainty that he would put down Merrie England at weight-for-age over a mile and a-half.

It appears that Sheenan's unnamed chestnut by Bundoora is out of a half bred mare. He can gallop a bit, however, and he may make a useful jumper should ,he fail to pay his way on the flat. Ben Trovato, in the same stable, is doing well. He is a bit straight on the rump, but that is no disadvantage, and Sheenan will be unlucky if he fails to make him pay bis way.

Sankey was taken up North some 70 or 80 miles (to Waiau) and netted a double, but he only got the first event of that double on the score of a cross. The company must have been very inferior up there, however. I believe that Sankey could have won the second of that double by the length of a street.

Mr Stead has evidently experienced some tantalising luck in the Ascot Vale Stakes, but it is apparent, nevertheless, that Medallion is a good colt, though Titan must be a clinker. I firmly believe that Medallion is the best of the Nordenfeldts brought to Canterbury last season. Mr Stead has another good one by the same sire, however, and O'Brien's and Butler's youngsters by the same sire will race well.

Harry Thomson goes to Middle Park on March 14. <