FREMONT MAKES AMENDS

Southland Times, Issue 23678, 29 November 1938, Page 10

FREMONT MAKES AMENDS

Roan Duke May Change Hands

MARLENE MAY SHOW UP AT NEW BRIGHTON

Nominations for the Gore Trotting Club’s meeting close on Monday next at 5 p.m. . _ lx . Nominations for the Winton Trotting Club’s meeting close on Thursday, December 8. Unreliable Until Glenholme is able to control his speed his prospects of winning a race look far from bright. Unlucky In both her races at Forbury Attain tangled at some stage of the running and but for this would have made it much harder for King Potts. Rocks Ahead Rocks Ahead is finding her present mark something of a hurdle both as a sprinter and a stayer and she may not be persevered with further. To Be Bred From Southern Smile, who finished second to Logan Derby in the Presidents Handicap the first day, has been mated with Nelson Derby. Southern Smile is a beautifully bred mare being by Adioo Guy from Regina Logan (a sister to Native Chief), by Logan Pointer from Regina de Oro, by Copa de Oro from Regina Bell, the dam of Logan Chief. Marlene’s Form -— Therewasa lot of merit in Marlene’s third to Fremont and Nell Grattan on Saturday and she may be expected to win at short notice. Marlene was at the rear of the field with two furlongs to go but she put in a great run at the home turn arid it’ was an outstanding effort which landed her in third place. She is engaged at New Brighton next Saturday. King Potts When more seasoned, with racing King Potts can ]be expected to go much further in the handicaps. When he won on Saturday he made several mistakes during the race and at the finish was inclined to run about. He is a four-year-old by Jack Potts from Molly Desborough, a useful winner a few seasons back. , Fast Mile

Logan Derby was timed to run his last mile in the Forbury. Handicap on Saturday in 2min 5 3-ssec, the last half being run in lmin 4 2-ssec. On these figures he ran the third, half in lmin 1 l-ssec, it being at this stage that he raced round the field and almost left it standing. Uuder Offer

After his success the first day Roan Duke was under offer to a Canterbury owner but the negotiations had npt been finalized on Saturday. Roan Duke was rather unlucky in the Tainui Handicap as he lost a lot of ground at th® start and then finished close up behind the placed horses. The Wellington Direct gelding looks like winning good races as' a sprinter.

Unlucky Mare Nell Grattan was the unluckiest mare to race at Forbury Last week. She was narrowly beaten by Fine Art the first day while on Saturday she was unlucky to strike Fremont at his . best Fremont was required to better the track record to beat her while Nell Grattan’s 3min 14 4-ssec equalled the track record. Nell Grattan is by. far the most solid of the Grattan Loyal’s stock racing. Poor Races

The four events provided for square trotters at Forbury Park were the poorest races seen on the' course for many a long day. In each race the winner finished on his own while the majority of horses made several mistakes during the running. An improving trotter worild have picked up some easy money in these events last week, as the opposition was weak. Likely Sprinter

Among the improvers at Forbury Icevus impressed as one likely to make a name for himself as a sprinter. There is not much of the Globe Derby horse but he is a nippy pacer and although he won well over a mile in 2min 9 3- the second day there was probably more merit in his defeat by Roan Duke on the Thursday. On this occasion he lost at least two seconds at the start and then raced round the outside of a field to register 2min 8 4Made Amends After his failure the first day at Forbury when he was one of the leaders into the straight, Fremont’s success in the Tainui Handicap was a surprisingly good performance. His time of 3min 14 l-ssec bettered the track record of Fine Art the previous day by 3-ssec. On Saturday Fremont was driven a much different race z to the first day when he was taken to the front, in the early stages. When he won he was not brought out from his field until well down the straight and from then on it was not a race home. Fremont is a brilliant customer when he is given

a chance to finish from the back but when in front in his races is usually the first beaten.

Fine Art’s Next

Although he was not produced the second day Fine Art took no harm from his hard race the first day at Forbury Park and his next race will be th«> Auckland Cup during the holidays. The Jack Potts gelding was responsible for one of the finest performances seen at Forbury Park for some time when he won the Caversham Handicap in 3min 14 4-ssec. Running his last half mile in 58sec on the outside of a field he finished on straight and true and while he just got up to head Nell Grattan it was a wonderful display of brilliance and stamina. Off thri. limit mark of the Auckland Cup, a £lOOO race, the Jack Potts pacer will take some beating if produced in the same order.

Opportunity Missed An opportunity of a life time was missed at last week’s Forbury Park meeting when the chance to have Lawn Derby at the meeting was not taken advantage of. As the first two minute pacer outside America the club should have gone to almost any length to have the Robert Derby horse at the meeting but there was apparently some hitch and the Australian horse was missing. Had Lawn Derby been sent against the track record of 2min 3 3-ssec held by Indianapolis on the Thursday he would have almost certainly have broken it. It was more than a possibility that he would have broken even time and threatened his own record of lmin 59 2-ssec. The Forbury track was lightning fast on Thursday and although the circuit is a furlong shorter than Addington, on the day it was probably faster than Addington when Lawn Derby put' up his record. The atmospheric conditions were much the same. When intermediate horses are able to come home their last half mile in a race in almost even time, and one horse registered 58sec for a last half these performances give an idea of the going. The Forbury club not only missed the chance of a horse probably breaking two minutes on its track, but it also denied a trotting-minded public the opportunity of seeing the greatest pacer ever raced in the Dominion.