TROTTING.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17840, 12 October 1929, Page 19 (Supplement)

TROTTING.

NEW SEASON’S DOINGS. WAIKATO CLUB’S FIXTURE. (By “Padlock.”) Dates of Meetings. Octdber 19.—New Brighton. October 19.—Northland. October 26, 28 —Grcymouth. October 26, 28 —Auckland. October 28 —Oarnaru. November 2 —Wellington. November 12, 14, 15 —N.Z. Metropolitan. November 20, 23—Otahuhu. November 28, 30 —Forbury. Meetings Just Ahead. The Whangarei and New Brighton Clubs will hold their Spring meetings next Saturday. The -former fixture, which will be of particular interest in this part of the Dominion, promises ■to attract good fields and with the form at the Waikato fixture to go upon investors will not be altogether in the dark. In Good Order. The Christchurch Times states that -the New Zealand Trotting Cup candidate, Linkman, has never looked better. He seems to relish plenty -of hard work, -and will have lo be reckoned with in the big race if he goes on as he is at the present time. A Useful Team, W. J. Tomkinson’s light harness string at present includes Concliff, Logan Park, Hinkler, Dalmeny, Lingfield, Wah, Country King, Wilma Dillon, and Prince Pointer —all doing well. Tomkinson is laid aside just now with eye troubles. Good One Re-appears. Taipare, who injured himself by a fall sustained during training operations last season is again on deck with R. A. McMillan's team at Tamahere.. The Our Thorpe—Uniform gelding still shows evidence of his mishap. It is hoped that the grey will again enter the active lists as he was a very capable sort and good for many more races with average luck. Not a Fair Basis. On time actually registered in a race, the host handicapped horse in the New Zealand Cup is Logan Park, who has done 4.22 1-5, and is now on 4.26, a difference of 3 4-5 seconds. Dundas Boy has an advantage of 3 2-5 seconds and Great Bingen 2 3-ssecs. Kingcraft is the worst treated on the same basis, for the best time is 2 4-5 seconds slower than lie is now set to do, while Rol l’Or has gone 4.28 and Cardinal Logan 4.27 4-5, and both are nowon 4,26. , It merely goes to show that working on a time basis alone is not a fair way of handicapping horses. A Peculiar Claim.

It Is a peculiar thing 'that the Greymouth Trotting Cluh should 'claim that no owner whose horse had gone to the limit of his speed, and who, under the new handicapping system, was ashed to give horses with recent fast performances nine or 10 seconds, would think of accepting, says “Ribhonwood” in the Christchurch Sun. Is it not likely that some other unknown quantity will have an even bigger advantage over the well-handi-capped horse? And while on the subject, trainers are now more keen to chase these so-called certainties when protected by the new handicapping system. Cushla d’Ora, with several seconds the. better of the handicap, has failed twice already in .as many starts 1 Mothven Cup Winner. Lady Cello's win in the Methvon Cup on Saturday was a striking performance. She occupied a good position early but dropped out, of the running until the field ran into the hack the last time. She still had a lot of leeway t.o make up in the straight, and It was only her wonderful stamina and gameness that pulled her through to a narrow victory at the finish. D. Teahen, trainer of Lady Cello, has a more than useful team in work this season, and with the Cup candidate Author Jinks, John Jinks, Lady Cello and a particularly promising trotter in Rustle, he has a quartet that should place him well up on the winning list.

On New Ground. Holden Devon and Spotlight arrived I at Perth on September 25. The latter | was cut about a good deal on thej boat when out from Adelaide through | getting a leg across a guard rail. Mr j W. Kelsey, who has been responsible for the importation of quite a lot of horses to the western State from the j Dominion, proposed to leave for New j Zealand the first, week in October. His Last, engagement was the securing J of Nelson McCormack from \V. J. i Tomkinson, and the gelding will bej come a member of L. B. Walton’s j team, which Spotlight has joined. 1 ’Nipped In the Bud. I i I It had been claimed by the Greymouth Trotting Club that owing to the distances of the various races in its programme being different, from those prescribed 'by the rules of handicap--1 ping, it could, had it so wished, have

ignored them. This contention was nipped in the bud at the last meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Association. when Buie 455 was stated to apply “to all .races conducted under the rules of (rotting; therefore the limitation of penalties shall apply to any distance not mentioned in the schedule in accordance with the penalties and rates of classes for the nearest distance therein mentioned; and if the distance not mentioned in the schedule is midway between two distances therein mentioned then the limitation ol* penalties shall apply in accordance with the .penalties and rates of classes I hat apply to the greater of the said two distances.” Some of the conditions made in the Greymouth Sp'ring programme aim at interfering with ‘.he new system. A Progressive Club. The decision of the committee of

the Waikato Trotting Club to hold I lie first of its two one-day meetings earlier this season than is customary is in the nature of an experiment and ilis hoped that it will prove in every way successful. The usual custom has been to introduce its season in December but, recent experience had proved that this was not the most suitable time as so many people were busy with harvesting operations at that period of the year. The club deserves the fullest measure of success as it has spared no pains and has expended a lot of money In bringing the course and appointments at Claudelands to the of efficiency.