TROTTING NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 365, 5 March 1932, Page 12

TROTTING NOTES.

A young pacer who is well spoken of in the South is Sure, by Peter Chenault from Our Nurse, the dam of Probationer. * * * & In addition to the sales of Messrs R. M. Morton, FI. F. Nicoll and G. J. Barton, it is now announced that the Taranaki owner, Mr J. R. Corrigan, is disposing of his horses in training. ❖ * * ~ New Metford is fast getting into .his best form, and the trotter is working very satisfactorily in his training work with a view to being raced at the Easter meeting. GOING WELL. Great Logan, who is now trained at Addington, is doing all that is asked [of him in his work. Great Logan was for a long time trained by O. E. Hooper, at Lauriston, for whom he won a number of races, chiefly over short courses. Last season he started on twenty-five occasions, but he only won one race and ran into a place six times. Great Logan is a very speedy beginner and usually has a good position early in races, but appears to lack stamina. * * * * Surprise Journey’s tasks of late have not been of a very serious character, but no .doubt he will be sent along faster in the near future in view of the Easter meeting at Addington. Surprise Journey looks in fine order. COME ON NICELY, Major Lind, who races very honestly, has come on a good deal during the last month and is doing his work in improved style. Although not a big one, the imported pacer is a useful sort up to a mile and a half, and when at his best can get two miles. He did a lot of racing last season, starting on twenty occasions, winning two races and being placed six times. Acceptances for the Timaru Trotting Club's meeting are due at nine o’clock on Monday night. * * * * Acceptances for the trotting events at the Waimate meeting close at eight o’clock on Tuesday night. * * *■ * Acceptances for the South Wairarapa Trotting Club’s meeting closes at eight o’clock on Monday night. WITHOUT HOPPLES. Twenty odd years ago the leading owners and trainers in America made strenuous efforts to have the hopples done away with completely, but the half-mile track proprietors and trainers proved too strong, and the attempt fell through. A peep into American trotting history may disabuse the minds of the hard and fast adherents of the hopples who reckon there would be no racing but for thfe straps. Little Brown Jug was foaled in 1875, and in 1881 put up his record of 2.11 J, a marvellous performance in those days. Johnson paced a mile in 1884 in 2.61, not alone before the advent of the hopples, but before the bicycle sulky came along. In 1897 Star Pointer paced a mile in 1.59'1. The previous year John R. Gentry had made a record of 2.0 k He met all the best pacers of his year, unhoppled and hoppled, and came out on top. Joe Patchen, the “iron horse,” 2.1 J, George Cano, the best of his year, and Dan Patch, 1.55}, who could come out day after dav and pace two minutes, all raced without hopples.

Russell Pointer is a very attractive worker in training, but the big pacer is a handful at the barrier and rarely goes away right. Up to a mile and a half he is a useful pacer when on the journey, but is not a good stayer. Russell Pointer has been showing improved form in his recent track work. * * * * The South Canterbury-trained pacer Lord Antrim is reported to be doing well in his training work, and if this speedy pacer has improved in his behaviour at the barrier he should race better in his future races. TROTTING IN RUSSIA. During the reign of Czar Nicholas trotting racing flourished in Russia, and many American-bred stallions and mares were shipped to that country to join the Imperial trotting stud as a means for improving the Orloff breed of harmness horse, native to that country. When the revolution came and the Czar and his entire family were put to death, the revolutionists seized the highly-prized Imperial stud’s breeding stock as well as other trotters owned by the country’s foremost trotting horse devotees. Since then little or nothing has come to light to indicate just what became of the American-bred trotters which had only begun to make their presence felt in the scheme to improve the breeding. Racing in Russia starts late in the afternoon and continues until midnight. A brass band plays martial and operatic selections. The restaurants and lunch counters do a thriving business, despite exorbitant prices. The race track is brilliantly lighted. Night falls early at this time of the year—racing continues throughout the bitter cold Muscovite winter—and the Hippodrome presents a colourful sight under its arc lights. PIICENIX DIXIE.

Several New Zealanders who visited Australia last year were greatly impressed with the square-gaited Phoenix Dixie. That their opinions were justified is shown by the fact that he recently went 3.251 among the hoppled horses on Victoria Park (Sydney). On the better tracks in New Zealand he would go much faster, but owing to the penalties on Australian horses it is doubtful if a venture across the Tasman would be a profitable one. Phoenix Dixie is by Dixie Derby, who went 3.19* for 12 furlongs, and proved himself one of the best horses seen out as a youngster. Dixie Derby was by Globe Derby, 2.8 1-5, who is now located at Mr E. Tatlow’s stud farm in Tasmania. Globe Derby was the champion pacer of Australia in his day. and was bred by the late Mr James Rutherford, of Bathurst, New South Wales, in 1910. Globe Derby claims as his sire Mambrino Derby, while his dam was Springheel, by Globe-Fidget. And as the mentioned sire and dam were all bred in Australia, Phoenix Dixie is certainly a triumph for colonial breeding. For champions to appear in each of five generations is not a common occurrence. TROTTING FIXTURES. March s—Wellingtons—Wellington T.C. March 13. 12—Cromwell J.C. March 12 —South Wairarapa T.C. March 12—-Tiniaru T.C. March 16— Manawatu T.C. March 16—Wyndham T.C. March 17—Waimate R.C. March 19—Otautau R.C. March 19. 21—Westport J.C.