TROTTING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XII, Issue 747, 30 June 1904, Page 9

TROTTING

The recent Winter Meeting of the Auckland Trotting Club was generally voted one of the most enjoyable the club has ever organised. The reason of this was not far to seek. It was no new experience to have the gathering well conducted, for the Auckland Trotting Club can always be relied upon in this respect, the officials being not only experienced, but they are also possessed of that rarer virtue, courtesy. What made the latest meeting so memorable, however, was the fact that it was held on a well-appointed racecourse, and the successful result must have convinced the sceptics that a properly conducted trotting meeting can command quite as much patronage as a race meeting. The attendance on the concluding day of the Auckland Trotting Club Meeting, despite the fact of it being an “off day ” in the winter, was possibly the largest yet seen at a trotting meeting in Auckland, a great many ladies being included among the spectators. If I was asked once I was asked a dozen times why the Trotting Club does not always hold the meetings at Takapuna, but I haven’t been able to find a satisfactory answer yet. Strong efforts should undoubtedly be made to bring this desirable state of things to pass.

Mr W. Rollitt, secretary of the New Zealand Trotting Association, is at present, I regret to hear, laid up with an attack of pneumonia.

No better illustration could be obtained of the progress that has been made in connection with trotting in New Zealand than is gained from a study of the bal-ance-sheet of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club (says the “ Canterbury Times ”). The receipts for the year amounted to £13,965 12s, nominations and acceptances accounting for £2417 17s 6d, totalisator £8327 Is 6d, and gates £2017 18s. On the other side, stakes swallowed up £8676 10s, the Government totalisator tax £1316 7s 7d, while permanent improvements, and buildings, etc., cost a further sum of £1439 3s. On top of all this, the club finished the year with a balance of £1732 14s lid, of which £5OO has been placed on fixed deposit. The liabilities are nil, and the assets, after being substantially written down, are given at £8217 14s lid.

At Greenwich Park, Aintree (England) last month, a Champion Free-for-all Scratch Trotting Race, of £lOO, caused a lot of trouble. Charley B. won the first two heats, while the third was easily accounted for by the British five-mile re-cord-holder, King of Pearls, who, however, was disqualified for not keeping his place after entering the straight. When the decision was made known the crowd fairly stormed the enclosure, whereupon the stewards held a meeting, and, deeming discretion the better part of valour, decided to allow the original placings to stand, with King, of Pearls as winner. That horse then won the next two heats, and took the prize-money. The fastest time recorded for any heat was 2min lOsec, by King of Pearls.

A trotting match took place at Belvidere (S.A.) recently between Mr P. Murphy’s horse Sonny, and Mr A. Fry’s horse Sparrow, from Belvidere to Langhorne’s Creek and back, a distance in all of about 11£ miles. The distance was traversed by the winner. Mr Murphy’s horse, in the smart time of 51min, Sparrow finishing close up.