TEMPEST’S FORM.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20483, 8 December 1934, Page 17

TEMPEST’S FORM.

Forbury Reports Before Trotting Board. MR BARTON’S STATEMENT. At the meeting of the board of the New Zealand Trotting Association last evening the report of the judicial committee of the Forbury Park Trotting Club, which held an inquiry into the running of Tempest in the President’s Handicap on November 22. was received. The committee found that the driving of Tempest was unsatisfactory, but that there was insufficient evidence to Support a charge of “ pulling ” on the horse. The board referred the report to the Licensing Committee. The stipendiary steward (Mr F. J. Beer) lodged an objection to the second position being awarded to Tempest, on the ground that the horse was not driven to win. The horse registered 4min 26 2-ssec at the Metropolitan meeting over a two-mile journey, stated the report. At the Metropolitan meeting, on the first day, Tempest ran fourth in a two-mile race. The third horse’s time was 4min 26 3-ssec, and Tempest finished about three lengths back fourth. Tempest in that race was 48yds behind, and the third horse was off 12yds. That was a two-mile race. On the second and third days Tempest won a mile and a quarter race. On the second day, off 12yds, he registered 2min 42 2-ssec, and on the third day, in the Free For All, Tempest raced third to Harold Logan and Roi l’Or in 2min 39sec. On the horse’s performance, and in the field in which he was competing, the public were entitled to send him out favourite. The race as driven by J. Fraser, driver of Tempest, in his mind was either bad driving or meant that he was not trying to win. Mr G. J. Barton, owner of Tempest, stated that there was not money enough in Dunedin to have made him pull the horse up. The race satisfied him that Fraser did not drive a good' race. J. Fraser, the driver of Tempest, stated that he had been instructed tc follow Waress and Cloudy Range. He was following Waress the last time out of the straight when he did not think she was going fast enough. Huon Voyage was trotting nicely up in front, and he tacked on to Huon Voyage up the back. Tempest was rather a tricky horse at that stage of a race and did not like putting in his run on the outside so far from home. While he was in behind Huon Voyage, just before they came into the straight, he called out to F. C. Dunlevey, driver of Iluon Voyage and also trainer of Tempest, to let him through, as Tempest did not like going through on the outside. While going through on the inside Tempest took a fresh lease of life, which enabled him to get up into second place. The leader had gos too far away for him to overhaul the winner. If another driver drove Tempest on the second day and took him on the outside, he believed that Tempest would do the same thing.