TROTTING

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 87, 4 July 1927, Page 6

TROTTING

(By “ABAYDOS”) NOTES AND COMMENTS FROM NEAR AND FAR Making a Start Black Admiral is in topping: condition after his sojourn in the country, and is to return to Yaldhurst today in order to start on a thorough preparation for spring and summer racing. The son of Brent Loeanda— Queen’s Drive won £1,300 in stakes this season, and tramped two miles in 4.25 2-5. Mr. B. Edwards will have a big say in the next New Zealand Cup with this pacer. Keep Them Afloat J. McDermott has an addition to his team in a four-year-old chestnut gelding by Huon Dillon from a mare by Wildwood Junior. Its name is Lifebuoy, and it should keep backers afloat when he commences to tackle the racing business seriously. Poor Punter Pays After the Bankhead—Quality episode at the winter meeting of the Oamaru Trotting Club, statements were made by certain officials of the club to the effect that it was highly probable that the club would refund the money invested on both horses. This meant that the club would stand to lose over £250. Since then the committee has deliberated upon the case, and after taking a careful view of the various aspects of the affair it has decided not to make a refund. This means that the unfortunate speculator has to stand the brunt of the costly mistake. Future Safeguard The outcome of the Bankhead— Quality incident at Oamaru is a remit to the Trotting Conference to make provision for such cases by compelling owners who lease horses to supply particulars that will safeguard the clubs and the public from such unfortunate happenings as that which befel the Oamaru Club. Change Hand* The Australian-bred mare Direct Wood has been sold to A. Hendricksen. Direct Wood is by Admiral Wood, a son of Wildwood Junior. She was bred by Messrs. A. and G. Hunter, who formed a high opinion of the mare. On her arrival in New Zealand she acted as if she would live up to the good things expected of her, but after doing well in a few races she lost all form, and it was not until the recent fixture at Auckland that hopes were held for an early return to the winning list. She may make amends early in the new season, and repay her purchaser for his outlay. Not Serious For some time past one of Tom Thumb’s fetlock joints has been under repair. The trouble is not regarded as serious, and is not preventing the gelding from being got ready for contests to be decided in August. The Logan Pointer gelding was pretty well in the limelight during the season just concluded. A Promising Youngster The Southland trainer, S. Todd, is’ putting a number of maiden horses through the initial stages of their preparation. Among them is a rising two-year-old by Gold Bell from Cardinal and Blue. This Ally promises to do well. Cardinal and Blue is by Copa de Ora. from Lady Sibyl, and has won a few races in the South for Mr. Todd. A Speedy Mare The pacing mare Daisy Pointer has taken up her residence with N. C.

Price at New Brighton, who also has a peach of a filly by Sonoma Harvester that exhibits exceptional promise as a trotter. Daisy Pointer, as her name suggests, is a daughter of Logan Pointer, and made a hit at the At ell ington autumn fixture, where she won a mile saddle heat off a 2-23 mark in 2.16 3-5. TIT-BITS FROM OVERSEA Square Trotters In announcing; its intention to bring; off a light harness Derby in 19.:9 tfie Goulburn Tattersall’s Trotting; <?lwb states it will be run m two divisionone for pacers, and one for * square trotters. It has come to be the custom to speak and write of trotters in contradistinction to pacers. as "square” trotters, but there is onl> the one trotting; grait. In this connection an owner who some t lr ne a STO wished to enter a trotter at a Sydney light harness meeting saw the conditions as being for "square trotters and being in a fog as to what - square trotter might be. inquired of the club if his ordinary trotting horse was eligible. Since then the square has been left out of the conditions. Good Will Result It appears to be a unanimous decision of the Trotting Conference conducted bv the New South ales Trotting Club and various affiliated country bodies, that good will follow the deliberations of the conference Quite a number of matters were dealt with, and of these the duplication of names and an appeal board were the outstanding. The practice adopted by the AJ C. of allowing Sydney racing associations to dea! with appeals, subject to a subsequent appeal to tne A J.C. itself, will be adopted m the trotting world. In the event of an appeal in future, it will not be necessary for the interested parties to visit sjanev and lav their case before the committee of the New South Wales Trotting Club unless dissatisfied with the appeal to the Trotting Association or club. In’ the matter of avoiding duplication of names of horses, steps are to be taken to avoid this at present undesirable practice. Gone Weit Huoness, the speedy roan Honest Huon mare, at one time raced in Sydney by Jack Keys, recently broke her back in an accident at a night meeting in Perth, and was destroyed. The accident gave the superstitious something to think about, as she was carrying No. 13 saddle-cloth. Since going to Perth she passed through a number of hands, including those of C. Jackson. D. Dawson, G. Dunleavy, and, last, T. Fallon. In Sydney she had a 2.18 record, but her best time in Perth was 2.19 J. Well Worked Commission Railbirds were aware that Charming Bells, included in R. E. Stothard’s team of Queensland horses, was a good trotter, but they were scarcely prepared to see her put up the performance she did last week at Victoria Park, Sydney, in the Trotters’ Handicap. She won with the greatest ease in 3.301. Her astute owner waited until the connections of Blackboard had made a market by backing their gelding down to a short priced favourite. Then his commissioners placed a clever commission at double figure prices. No book was entrusted with more than £2, and but few books escaped. So well placed was the commission that the stable had a royal win all to itself, and the mare was quoted at a good price when business ceased. Charming Bells, an aged mare by Royal Ribbon, from Belden Chimes, was handicapped to do 3.36, and was not asked to trot to do 3.301. On the Mat It could hardly be termed a day full of pleasures for C. Rokkjer. trainer of Rock Allen, despite the fact the latter was successful. Early in the day Rokkjer sent Zona Pronto out favourite, but failed, although he had the race won a few yards from the post. With Native Prince Rokkjer’s , bona tides were questioned in the Unhoppled Handicap. The stewards inquired into the running of Native Prince, it is understood, although no intimation was made of the business to the Press. Evidence was forthcoming that Native Prince was genuinely backed, as also was Zona Pronto. And so, with never a decent price, to any amount of money, offering against Rock Allen, Rokkjer would hardly do remarkably well over the day’s proceedings. Little But Good There is not much of the Mauritius gelding Rock Allen. but what there is of him is good. This he demonstrated when he won the A.T.C. Handicap at Victoria Park on Monday. June 13. He was never worse than third, and, taking charge seven furlongs from home, he finally scored well. even though by only a half length, from the outsider, Splash. A Promising Sort In Childe Chief, Billy Kearns appears to have something pretty good. At four-year-old he is not too reliable off the mark, but should that disability be got over, he will have to be reckoned with among the highgraders. Childe Chief is bred much on the same lines as Concliff. Concliff is by Childewood from Barmaid, by Brooklyn Chief. Childe Chief is by Childewood from a dam by Brooklyn Chief. GREAT BREEDER STILL HALE AND HEARTY CONSTANT VISITOR TO TRACKS One of the conspicuous rail-birds at the Lexington trotting track, where Futurity prospects from the winter training camps in Florida and Georgia are now concentrating, is W. M. Wright, breeder of the world’s fastest trotting horse, Peter Manning, 1.562Seated on a plank nailed to the top of the fence near the three-quarter pole (writes Gurney C. Gue), this 78-year-oid horse fancier is to be seen every pleasant spring morning watching the first crop of two-year-olds foaled at his Calumet farm take their work on the course of the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders’ Association. LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS Mr. Wright had reached the allotted age of man before the record-breaking performances of Peter Manning led him to shift the burden of his business interests in Chicago to the shoulders of his son, and leave himself free to enjoy life with the trotters. Since 1924 he has invested something more than two million dollars in horses, land, buildings, and other improvements and equipment for Calumet farm, the latest of the big stud farms established by wealthy northern men in Kentucky. An outlay of another half-million is now under way, and it begins to look as though the enthusiastic Chicago horseman was bent on possessing the largest stud of light harness horses in the world before he becomes an octogenarian. THE MIGHTY BELWIN The breaking-up of Laurel Hall farm at Indianapolis, and the breeding establishment of Henry J. Schlesinger, of Milwaukee, gave unusual opportunities of which Mr. Wright made the most by taking over the Schlesinger stud almost intact, with a great sire, Belwin, 2.6|, at its head. This young horse has in the last few years taken the lead from Guy Axworthy, 2.32, Dillon Axworthy, 2.101, and Peter the Great, 2.71, as sire of fast two-year-old trotters, and now stands at the head of all stallions, liv'lng or dead. Nearly 30 fashionably-bred performers with records faster than 2.10 are among the brood mares at Calumet Farm, while Nervolo Belle, the dam of three colt trotters that have beaten 2.5, and Glendora, 2.252, the dam of Peter Manning, are samples of the mares outside the 2.10 list.