CROWD THRILLED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20282, 17 April 1934, Page 9

CROWD THRILLED.

Course Has Race-day Appearance. ENTHUSIASTIC SPECTATORS. The Addington trotting track to-day had all the appearance of a race day, save that the totalisator was not working. Neither was the bar, a fact audibly lamented by a number of gentlemen who waited in the, hot sun for the commencement of the events that had attracted the crowd there. A heavy wind was blowing down the straight, a fact that led the early to rule out all chance of Walla Walla being able to break the record. They proved to be right, but whether it was the wind or some other cause was not exactly clear. The people who later ventured opinions on the matter advanced all sorts of reasons, not omitting the time-worn joke that the horse did not run fast enough. It looked early in the attempt as if Walla Walla would succeed, for he' was “ going like a train.” That was a purely technical expression used by a gentleman in the trainers’ stand to indicate, presumably, a rate of speed favourable to record-breaking. Actually Walla Walla did not look at all like a train. He was a very tired horse, however, when he turned into the straight for the finish, and the remark, “ He’s stopping to a standstill ” was an exaggeration that did not altogether hide the truth. Much Cheering. It was Worthy Queen that really gave the crowd a thrill and brought all cheering to their feet. A preliminary break after going a furlong in the first attempt seemed to be an unhappy augury, but Worthy Queen made no mistake the second time. According to the “ heads ” she was “ doing it better ” in the early stages of the attempt than Walla Walla had done, though she was not travelling so fast. There was tremendous excitement as she came up the straight. It was merely a matter of holding her pace. The watches were showing that, if she couid do that, new figures were assured, and everybody present was figuratively “ riding ” her to the finish. She didn’t falter. Over the last crucial hundred yards or so there was no sign of tiring, and she passed the winning post still trotting, with the crowd wildly cheering'. And then there was a breathless pause while watches were compared, and the amateur timekeepers argued it out among themselves. Then the official time went up—2min 3 3-ssec—and a small world of noise broke around the densely-lined birdcage. The horses pranced, wondering what it was all about, and took a little quietening. Not till Worthy Queen had disappeared did the enthusiasm die down. Auburn Lad’s Mile. Then Auburn Lad thrilled the crowd with a mile paced in 2min 2 2-ssec, equalling the record that Walla Walla had failed to break. The crowd was having a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was rather a pity, in the circumstances, that Biddy Parrish went out, for that was merely an anti-climax. But still there was some applaus for Biddy Parrish and some kindly chaff for the pacemaker. The crowd had had an excellent show and was in high good humour. In at least two of the attempts it had seen trotting of a calibre that is not often met with. The takings at the gate (which are to be divided equally between the St John Ambulance Association and the Mayor’s Relief Fund) totalled £BO.