TROTTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3982, 8 July 1930, Page 54

TROTTING.

NEXT SEASON’S FIXTURES.

DATES APPLIED FOR. August 9, 13, IG.—N.Z. Metropolitan. September G?—New Brighton. October 4.—Methve’n. October 11.—Waikato. October 18.—New Brighton. October 25, 27.—Greymouth. October 25, 27.—Auckland October 27.—Northland October 27. —Oamaru. November I.—Wellington. November 11, 13, 14.—N.Z. Metropolitan November 21, 22.—Nelson. November 22, 2G.—Otahuhu. November 27, 29.—Forbury Park. December 13.—Now Brighton. December 20.—Hawke’s Bay. December 2G.—Ashburton. December 2G.—Gore. December 26, 27.—Westport. December 26, 27.—South Wairarapa. December 27, 30, 31. —Auckland. December 30.—Winton. December 30.—Inangahua.

TRACK TALK.

By Adonis. BRILLIANT PERFORMANCES. In glancing back over the season that is fast running to its close, one is impressed by the number of brilliant performances registered by pacers and trotters of all ages, several records having been sent overboard. Beginning with the two-year-old pacers, the outstanding performance was, of course, that of Arethusa, who won the Sapling Stakes in 3.25 3-5, which is easily a record for two-year-olds in New Zealand and Australia. The AVrack youngster is not much to look at, but beyond argument she is a real champion in the making. A remarkable performance for a two-year-old trotter was that of the Dunedinowned Todd Lonzia, who tramped a mile at Forbury Park winter meeting in 2.22 2-5, figures which are likely to stand for manj’ a day. New figures for a three-year-old pacer over a mile and a-half were set by John Jinks in the Champion Three-year-old Handicap at Addington, in which he was clocked to do 3.20.

Outstanding among the three-year-old trotters were AA’hite Satin and Parrish Belle. The former lowered the record for one of her years by stepping 3.35 3-5 at Forbury Park when she ran second to Ambition in the A'auxliall Handicap, but she subsequently improved on this until she touched 3.27 2-5 when she finished third in the Progressive Handicap at Addington. Among the older horses, too, there were brilliant performances, and two new records were established, Kid Logan winning over a mile in saddle in 2.8 2-5, and Peter Bingen setting the world's race record against his name when he won the New Zealand Cup in 4.18 4-5.

The limits of speed have not yet been reached, but it is a cafe prediction that many of the new records will stand for a very long time.

SENSATIONAL RACE RECALLED. In a series of interesting articles dealing with Billings Park, the leading American trotting establishment that was recently dismantled, the land being cut up into building allotments, “ A olunteer ” recalls a sensational happening in connection with the running of the Memphis Gold Cup in 1904, the contestants being Major Delmar and Lou Dillon, the latter being the Billings Park representative. He says: “ On the opening day of the Memphis meeting, of which, as before, the Gold Cup race was the feature, the crowd was even larger than on the same day the year before, while the excitement was still more profound. But this time there was a feverish tinge to it. There seemed something in the air that resembled the atmosphere before the breaking of a storm. There was no public betting on the great event, but in the private wagers Lou Dillon was a three to one favourite. But after warming up for the work with a mile in she acted strangely. For the duel Major Delmar had drawn the rails, and they went away after three scores. Smathers drove very wide on the turn, carrying Lou far out, but she was head and head with him at the quarter in 30.}. AA’hen straight in the back stretch, Mr Billings called on her, but she could not respond, and barely maintained her position. The half was reached with the two locked in I.OOj, and then Major Delmar began to draw away. At the three-quarters, in 1.31 J, she was struggling along behind him, much as he had been behind her a year before. Her distress was so great that Mr Billings stopped driving her, and his rival, seeing this, took back Major Delmar and both jogged home, the mile being onlj- in 2.7, Delmar winning by ten lengths. Lou Dillon pulled up in pitiable condition. Her head hung low, her sides were heaving convulsively, her nostrils were distended, her breath coming in painful gasps, and her eyes dull and lustreless. Three veterinaries consulted over her and informed Mr Billings that it would be dangerous, if not fatal, to attempt to race ‘her another heat. He. however, ordered her to be harnessed and brought out for the second heat, and when the word was given simply walked her around the track, while Major Delmar jogged the mile, far off in front of her, in 2.18}, and the Memphis Gold Cup passed forever into E. E. Smathers’s possession amid a dead silence on the part of all but his party, which naturally was jubilant. This time, however, when the Major’s owner might have made a tremendous winning, had he bet upon him, lie had not done so. AVhat caused the downfall of Lou Dillon will never be known. There had been rumours floating about the track the morning of the race, and even the night before, that she would never win it, no matter how good she might be—that she was to be “stopped.” So ran the undercover gossip of the stables’ under-world. But she was closely and carefully guarded and apparently beyond the reach of being “ got at.” There was only one quarter towards which the finger of suspicion pointed, but there it pointed and remained fixed. The man suspected was the brother of Lou Dillon’s trainer, Ed Sanders, a ne’er-do-well of shady reputation, who had been given constant access to her on account of his relationship to

Hillard. It was whispered that, preceding the race, those who, somehow, always manage to see things that are believed unseen, had repeatedly come across Ed Sanders and George Spear, the manager of the Smathers stable, in intimate conversation. It was also recalled that Spear himself had in the past once been outlawed from the trotting turf.

AMERICAN BLOOD LINES. Writing about blood-lines nowadays is not what it used to be. In former years almost every fresh stake or Futurity winner, or record-breaker, presented new and fee’ll angles of interest, the differences between them being, as a rule, very marked (says an American writer). That gave the student of breeding and analyst of ancestries something easy and pleasant to discuss and eliminated all danger of monotony or repetition. There was always some feature which afforded opportunity to introduce “ something different ” and give variety to one’s outlook and conclusions. This condition no longer exists. Owing to the rigid policy of our leading breeders—whose methods are, as a matter of course, sooner or later (and generally sooner) adopted by all other ones —to use nothing but a select few strains of blood in their operations (except as others enter collaterally and well back), for some time past there has been nothing to do but ring the changes on the strains, “ad lib.” This becomes monotonous ere long, alike to writers and readers, for very few of us have the faculty of remaining interested and staying wide awake when we are being told the ‘‘same old story ” over and over again. Half a dozen years ago it had simmered down to but four "leading families,” to wit, those of Axworthy, Bingen, Al'Kinney, and Peter the Great. But long ere then I had myoelf called attention to the fact that the Bingen family, while still apparently going strong, was the object of so much antagonism on the part of a small but very influential group of men tiiat there could be but one outcome —to wit, its elimination. This condition has come to pass even more quickly than I prophesied. There is not to-day in Kentucky—our great trotting breeding ground—a single male line representative of the Bingen family that is in really active service. The last two remaining. J. Malcolm Forbes 2.8 and Lord Dewey 2.33, are, the former entirely and the latter practically, out of the ranks of public stallions. Etawah 2.3 was shunted out of “ the Blue Grass ” with scant ceremony, and Favonian 2.13 was refused even an opportunity to stand there. Both these stallions are now doing service in Kansas. Aside from them, the only Bingen sire I know of that is prominently situated is Binyille 2.93, which son of Binjolla 2.93 has for several seasons past been standing beside Czar Peter 2.83 at Mr George Slaughter’s Deep Run Farm in Michigan. Bingen Silk 2.73 is standing modestly in Illinois, Walter Coehato 2.23 in Indiana, and Martinos 2.123 and The Toddler 2.33 in Ohio. No others come to mind.

One of the greatest men of ancient Greece was Aristides. He was a famous general and in civic life showed himself equally able. However, when at the height of his fame he was ostracised from Athens—that being the punishment meted out to prominent citizens who became obnoxious to “ the powers that be.” When he asked to be allowed to confront his accusers and inquired what offence he had committed, he was informed that none was laid at his door, but that he was being ostracised (exiled from Athens) because people were “ tired of hearing him called ‘the Just.’”. So impartial was he known to be that his integrity had become proverbial It appeared that this reputation was not relished by’ other leading Athenian politicians, to whom such an appellation had not been applied. They regarded it as a covert reproach, and they did not like it. In consequence thev organised a cabal and succeeded in having Aristides ostracised. Years afterwards, in a time of great public danger, Aristides was allowed to return to Athens and ny his wisdom and bravery did much to carry her safely through her perils. But despite these great and patriotic services, his reward was so meagre that when he died he was in a state of virtual destitution, and his daughters were left without dowries.

We may regard Bingen as the Aristides of the modern Standard breed. While he himself was lucky enough—if one may so express it —as to die before the movement against him had gathered full headway, the ostracism which he individually escaped has befallen his family, and, like the daughters of the Athenian patriot, they are not desired in marriage by th' reigning aristocrats. And if the ' time should come—for stranger things have happened!—when the breed is sorely in need of a strain of blood like this, unlike Aristides in the hour of trial, it cannot “ come back.” Already it has been reduced to a_“thin red line” and at the rate at which we are moving even that can scarce be expected long to remain visible.