NOTES

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VII, Issue 337, 7 January 1897, Page 10

NOTES

The programme of the Hawera Trotting Club meeting, to be held on Friday, March 12, is published in our advertising columns. Full particulars as to the time of nominations, etc., will be found in the advertisement. A special meeting of the North Island Trotting Association was held on Jan. 4. The Wellington Trotting Club’s programme for Jan.2l and 23 was passed ; Johnsonville Trotting Club’s programme was passed for January 21. A long discussion took place relative to the dispute between the Wellington and Johnsonville Clubs, as to which should have the date January 21; eventually it was resolved that the president be instructed to ask the Colonial Secretary to grant a permit to the Wellington Club for January 19 and 23, and to the Johnsonville Club for January 21. It was further agreed, on the motion of Mr Brown, that in future the Wellington Trotting Club should revert to the days between the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting, A trotting match for £lOO has been arranged between Mr A. Austin’s Pleasanton and Mr M. Edwards’ Albert Victor. The match is to take place at Ellerslie on February 24, and, as both horses are remarkably well bred, a lot of interest will doubtless be taken in the match. On Saturday next, January 9, by 9 p.m., nominations for all events in connection with the Johnsonville and Hutt County Trotting Club’s Summer Meeting close with the secretary, at the White Swan Hotel, Wellington, in lieu of the 6th inst., as previously advertised. Handicaps will appear on the 14th inst., and acceptances are due on the 18th January. That good looking trotter Bellman was put up for sale after the Wellington Park yearlings had been disposed of the other day, but he failed to change hands. Bellman is a splendid mover, and he had very bad luck in losing so often as be did at the late meeting of the Trotting Club. The Auckland Trotting Club’s Meeting, which was brought to a close on Dec. 30th, was one of the most successful that the club has yet held, and when all the accounts have been made up it will be found that there is a handsome profit, a matter upon which the energetic and obliging secretary should be congratulated, because he has done so much to deserve the success attained. The sport right through was of a high order, and Mr Knight is deserving of more than a passing word of praise for his handicapping. He had difficult material to deal with, as trotters were brought together that had never measured strides with one another before, and were comparative strangers to the handicapper. However, he came out of the ordeal all right, although perhaps in some of the events he was a little too severe on some of the back markers. In the principal event of the last day of the Meeting—the President’s Handicap—the winner (Dictator) got in rather ligl 11ly.