FRESH TROTTING RECORDS

Southland Times, Issue 23512, 19 May 1938, Page 10

FRESH TROTTING RECORDS

Fine Performance Of Rocks Ahead LAWN DERBY IN CLASS OF HIS OWN During the past few weeks several outstanding performances have been registered at trotting meetings at Addington and Forbury, while a cable message on Tuesday morning detailed two phenomenal performances by the Australian champion, Lawn Derby. Track records have been broken; one New Zealand record bettered and several others approached. Rather a remarkable feature of the racing at Forbury Park was the exceptionally fast times recorded at the winter meeting of the club, when record times are least expected. . , . At the inter-Dominion. championships at Easter the time factor did not enter greatly into the interest in events. This was brought about by the state of the fracks. As the best horses in the country were racing over one mile and ahalf and a mile and five furlongs—distances over which they rarely race—a fast track at Addington would almost certainly have been responsible for fresh mile and a-half figures. Pot Luck’s time in winning the Grand Final Handicap over a mile and five furlongs was a fresh winning record for the distance. His time of 3min 31 3-ssec bettered Acron’s record of 3min 34sec put up in 1923—15 years ago. Had the track at Addington been really fast on the concluding day these figures would have been greatly reduced. On the strength of recent performances Lawn Derby is entitled to be described as the greatest free-legged pacer

raced in this part of the world. Freelegged pacers are few and far between and those to take fast records in either Australia or New Zealand have been almost all Australian-bred. According to Tuesday’s cable at Harold Park, Lawn Derby paced a mile in 2min 2 4-ssec or 2-ssec outside Walla Walla’s record. Later in the day Lawn Derby won over a mile and a-half in 3min 14 l-ssec and thus bettered his own record by 2sec. The track was described as holding—further evidence of the greatness of the son of Robert Derby. Lawn Derby has also shown his prowess on New Zealand tracks for he won over two miles at Epsom at Christmas in 4min 17 3-ssec. TWO I’ACEMAKERS In his record-breaking attempt on Tuesday Lawn Derby was to have been assisted by two pacemakers. When Walla Walla made his record he had tha assistance of a pacer and a galloping pony for the first two furlongs, and over the last two furlongs had another pacer. W. J. O’Shea, who drove Lawn Derby in the trial, does not favour a galloper. “Lawn Derby is“ a peculiar horse, O’Shea stated recently, “and he may not do his best if aided by a galloper. I : intend to have two horses in sulkies, one to carry him along the first half mile, and the other to bring him home over the last four furlongs.” Lawn Derby holds the mile Sydney Show Ground record of 2min 3 l-ssec, while last January in Melbourne he recorded 3min 13Jsec for a mile and a-half. Probably the best of many fine performances put up at Forbury Park on Saturday was that credited to Donor. Among a class of improvers—the majority of which had only won a race or two—Donor registered 3min 13 4-ssec—-and thus bettered Iraq’s winning record of 3min 16 2-ssec by 2min 3-ssec. The track was doubtless in lightning order as Donor’s time compared with the New Zealand records for the distance. These are held by Onyx, whose record against time is 3min 13sec and the times of Lindbergh and Silver de Oro—3min 13 1- —in races. Lawn Derby’s figures of the current week may also be mentioned as a comparison. Donor has yet a long way to go to reach the class of the record-holders mentioned. His time of last week does not suggest that he is another Indianapolis but it was certainly a performance compared with the best registered in this country. At the same time it may be mentioned that the world record for a mile and a-half of 3min 2 2- was put up by Greyhound last season, and that the best of New Zealand pacers have not raced over 12 furlongs on a fast track in recent years. DUAL RECORD HOLDER Rocks Ahead was responsible for fresh two mile figures for the Forbury track when she registered 4min 18 4-5 sec in dead-heating with Ginger Jack. The previous record of 4min 19sec was held by Big Author, It may also be mentioned that Rocks Ahead—one of the best mares bred in Southland in recent years—holds the mile saddle record of 2min 9 2-ssec at Forbury Park. There were several others responsible for high-class time efforts at the Forbury Park meeting. Among these were Great Divide’s mile in 2min 8 2-ssec—-only 4-ssec outside Great Bingen’s 13-year-oM record. Philario (4min 23 2-ssec), Fine Art (4min 23 4-ssec) and Embark (4min 22 l-ssec) all proved themselves fine young stayers by recording the times mentioned from loose marks over two miles. The Forbury Park track is probably in better order than it has ever been, and if time alone can be accepted as a guide, there is no dearth of sprinting and staying. champions. There is no questioning the merit of any of the performances but not all horses live up to figures they establish on the watch. This has been proven time and again although a glance through most record boards will find the names of some of the greatest pacers of all time.