NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume X, Issue 474, 24 August 1899, Page 17

NOTES.

The programme of the Spring Meeting of the Auckland Trotting Club is advertised in this issue. The meeting will be held on Saturday and Wednesday, October 14 and 18. For the two days racing the sum of £485 is provided in stake money. On the first day the principal trotting races are the Spring Trot Handicap, one and a half miles, worth 50 sovs, for saddle horses, and the Stewards’ Handicap Trot, one and a half miles, worth 45 sovs, for harness horses. On the second day there are three good trotting races, the October Trot Handicap, two miles, 50 sovs, saddle; the Harness Trot Handicap, one and a half miles, 40 sovs, and the Class Trot Handicap, one mile, saddle or harness, for horses to be handicapped to do 2.50 or better. The ponies are well looked after, and there is a hurdle race on each day. Mr C. F. Mark ought to receive splendid entries. The special attention of trotting owners is called to the rule of the New Zealand Trotting Association, having reference to the registration of all trotting horses or ponies. Any unregistered horse or pony trotting at meetings held under the Association rules will be promptly disqualified.

A good time to select judges for race meetings is quite a while before the meeting takes place. The judges should not be selected unless competent to fill the position and by taking plenty of time to select them the best to be had. Whereas if time is put off until the day of the meeting is called, frequently poor men will have to be taken. Too much care cannot be exercised in this important matter of selecting judges. It means everything to men racing horses. Poor judges frequently get men into trouble from which it sometimes takes them years to get out. A man not familiar with rules should never accept a position as judge.—American Exchange. John Splan says the Breeder and Sportsman has received a letter from Mrs McPhee, of Vienna, Austria, who says she has refused $BOOO for the stallion Dick Miller, son of Gambetto Wilkes. It is likely that this horse is the coming European trotter, and nearly all Europeans interested in the harness sport are of the same opinion’ Last year he was started in March in Hamburg and won five straight races. The weather being bad he caught pneumonia and was not started again. In his first race this season he made Mabel Moneypenny and Domera look cheap, and as early as May sth had trotted a heat in 2-15. Mike Dwyer, who has just returned from Europe, having taken over Miss Sidney and Minnie Birchwood, says the stallion is the sensation of Europe. He says Athanio is the best of the present free-for-alls at a mile, and that the brown stallion’s miles in 2-12 J and 2-12$ on May 4th were marvelous performances. Col. Kuser still remains the champion at a {distance. Que Allen, the only trotter that ever beat 2 10 in Europe burst open his hoof early in the season, and Dwyer does not think the horse will be fit to start this year. The trotting of the $5OOO Austrian Derby was marked by a sensational incident. George Bodimer. of East Aurora, N. Y., who had the best colt in Europe, won it with Blasel, son of Warren. In the race however, he fouled Ben Tappan and hip colt was not only disqualified, but the Austrian association expelled Bodimer. In 1897 Bodimer made a disastrous compaign in Ohio with the trotter McKinley. He shortly afterward got on with an Austrian stable and was having great success up to his unfortunate event. Silkwood, another American trotter with a record of 2.7, is being trained to do the guideless act and reports from Santa Ana are to the effect that he worked a mile that way last month in 2.8, the last half in 1.1, last quarter in 29 1-5 seconds. He ought to be quite ah attraction if campaigned as a guideless pacer this year,, and there are many who believe he could come close to the two minute mark hitched to a bike and .handled by a first-class trainer.

The well known American starter, A. H. Merrill says that experience has taught him that it would be in the interest of all concerned to have the starter isolated. Then he would be able to watch out for himself, and not be handicapped by outside interference. One of the best trotting performance of the American season was made at Glenville track, Ole veland, recently, when Rose Turner won her race in 2.14$ at the Driving Club’s matinee. Harry Darlington, her owner, drove her and getting away on the tret he went head and head with the sprinting gelding Dean to the quarter in 32$ seconds and to the half in 1.5. The same pace was maintained to the three-quarters, but at the head of the stretch the gelding faltered under the terrific clip and h ose Turner came home in comfort. The mare has a sulky record of 2.135.°