VAN DERBY'S WIN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19827, 3 January 1939, Page 10

VAN DERBY'S WIN

AUSTRALASIAN RECORD ONE MILK IN 2.1 1-SSEC. (Special to tho Herald.) AUCKLAND, Saturday. A comfortable win in Australasian record time marked Van Derby's victory over the brilliant Austral iar pacer Lawn Derby in a special matcl' at the Auckland Trotting Club's meeting on Saturday.

, The fact that Van Derby got an advantage at the start of the challenge race with Lawn Derby robbed it of considerable interest. The Auckland horse led throughout, and his rival never really looked like overtaking him. The match, however, produced a brilliant exhibition of pacing, with Van Derby always the winner in the third fastest mile ever paced in the Dominion. Lawn Derby drew the peg. It was announced afterwards that O'Shea, his driver, asked that Smith be allowed to go off in front with Van Derby. The latter had been warmed up with a slow mile about an hour earlier, but Lawn Derby was .not warmed up at all. The conditions of the match provided for a moving start, and when they lined up Van Derby left the mile post two lengths ahead of Lawn Derby, and at the end of the first quarter the leader had two and a half lengths the better of it. Arxl so they raced to the half mile in 1.0 3-5.

Lawn Derby was no nearer Van Derby at the home turn, but down the straight Lawn Derby challenged and, responding well, he got to within half a length of Van Derby at the judge, but Van Derby was going very comfortably. The watch showed 2.1 1-5 for the full mile. The pair were paced by Silver Watch (galloping), who was driven by F. Holmes.

After the match, Fred Smith, driver of Van Derby, said his horse was hardly "blowing" at all and could have done better. "He is a wonderful horse," said Smith, "because ho has actually only started in six races diK.c* racing conditions as we know them. He did a bit of racing at matinee meetings ana at showgrounds in Sydney and Tasmania. I intend, all going well, to have another go at the mile or mile and a half record at the next matinee meeting in Auckland." The time was an Australasian grass track record.