TROTTING AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2385, 23 November 1899, Page 36

TROTTING AT CHRISTCHURCH.

While at the Carnival I spent one afternoon at the Plumpton track, and another on the splendid new grounds of the New Zealand •Metropolitan Trotting Club, and I have to ihank Mr Rattray, secretary, and other officials'of theEe clubs for extending a welcome that made me feel thoroughly at home. They ; can afford to take a pleasure in welcoming Visitors at these meetings. There is nothing ihat they need fear being found out. in *nost respects the management 13 Al, and 5 saw hardly any sign of loafing m the trotjiing As a rule the horses were doing all they Vsould to win. In only one matter it occurred to me the management was out of date. 1 refer to the starting. Charlie 0 Connor la a' good man for the billet— none better—and Jie is not likely to make a grave mistake. But mo man on earth, holding his watch in his hand, can send off a large field jso that every horse shall move away precisely at its handicap. The thing is impossible. >And it is absurd to time horses to fifthß of 3 econds when they are let go in that inexact fashion. The system tells against preciseness in regard to both the handicapping and the timing. The Christchurch folk ought ito work alwaya by the clock. I 'didn't see ho\7 O'Connor started at the Metropolitan ground. That track is c, five furlongs' circuit, and the starts are everywhere. But at Plumpton, the track j being a mile in circumference, all the starts are from the post, and it was here that I saw the higgledy-piggledy plan at work. While talking about the starling, I would also say (that the horse 3 were delayed at the post at each place, apparently for totalizator purposes, with the result that in some cases horses .grew' restive, and in others the riders and 'drivers became uncontrollable, while the official was evidently annoyed at being kept waiting for his signal to let the horses go. a hat .this wa3 the position any one could see with -fcalf an eye. Tho clubs ought to remedy this without delay. The public will invest smartly if forced to. As to tho trotting, I was veiy. much impressed at Plumpton with the fine {performance of Judah, the che3tnut mare fthat came from Honolulu and had been waiting a long time to show her real form, and the way in which Sam Slick shaped. ■It was a great 'pleasure to see the3o horses 'and Monte Carlo trotting, and they seemed }to keep their feet well on the grass track. Judab, if sound, may one of these days beat 3?ritz's record ; but I fear that she will not last. She was very stiff a day or two after -iher race. The Metropolitan Club's course is a dirt track a chain wide, with the rail leaning outward bo as to give the wheels room. This track ia very fast, and I saw some wonderful trotting in the November Handicap, ©specially on the part of Vickery, the greatest goer for her size I have over clapped eye 3 on. The crowd at this meeting equalled a Dunedhr Cup crowd, and they put over £7001) through tho totalisator for the day.