TROTTING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 801, 13 July 1905, Page 10

TROTTING.

It was thought some time ago (says a Sydney paper) that the . champion trotting mare Julia, who paid a visit to Almont. was in foal, but latterly Mr. R. Beckett, her owner, has considerable doubt on the matter, and contemplates sending her to New Zealand, to contest some of the rich free for all trots, to take place at an early date. * * * *

The annual conference of delegates from the clubs affiliated to the New Zealand Trotting Association was held on Monday at Wellington, Mr. G. H. McHaffie presiding. A letter was received from the Colonial Secretary stating that the number of totalisator permits was 28, distributed among 16 clubs. It was resolved that consideration of amendments and new rules of trotting be adjourned until the report of the sub-committee upon the first code is brought before the conference. An exception was, however, ipade in regard to rule 5 of the constitution. and the expenses of members of the association was increased from £4O to £7O. Messrs. McHaffie, Rattray, Selig, Mark, and Kitchingham were appointed a committee to revise the constitution and rules of racing. Totalisator permits were allocated the same as last year. Mr. McHaffie was reappointed chairman.

Now that the racing season in Russia is over, it is evident that, despite the war, it was an interesting one, particularly so to those Russian breeders who have for a considerable number of years advocated the crossing of the Orloff, the trotter of Russia, with the Americanbred trotter (says the Chicago “Horse-

man.”) The showing that these halfT>red trotters made during the past season has more than surpassed the expectations of the advocates of this cross. Not •only have the. Orloff-American trotters defeated the pure-bred Orloffs in a majority of the races, but they have been ■successful in defeating the American- - bred trotter, a large number of the latter having been - purchased by the Rus-

sians, who, of course, race them extensively before retiring them to the stud. The Orloff-American trotters were not only successful in the actual contests, but they also reduced the records. The feat of establishing a new record on the ice of 2min 14sec was accomplished. It also appears that the Orloff-American trottei’ Iris set a new Russian mark for two miles. Many American breeders will consider N. K - Feodossieff, secretaiy of the Imperial Trotting Club of Moscow, over-enthusiastic in his statement in regard to the Orloff-American cross when he says that breed cannot only beat the best Orloffs, but the best American trotters as well. Americans will be loth to believe that any combination of trotting blood is capable of producing trotters better than the best American trotters. The Russian exponent of breeding can point to the fact, however, the Cresceus’ record to ice was reduced by... an OrloffAmerican undei* circumstances less favourable than those which obtained when Cresceus trotted his mile. Famous trotters (says Mr Taplin, in his “Sporting Dictionary”), have undoubedly been produced from different parts of the kingdom, but Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk are said to have excelled all others in their proportion, and this may probably with justice be attributed to those famous trotting stallions Old Shields, Useful Cub, and Hue and Cry, who principally covered the country. The celebrated trotter Archei’ was descended from Old Shields ; he was a remarkably strong horse, master of 15st, and the fastest trotting horse of his time ; but he was cruelly destroyed by being inhumanly matched to trot upon the road sixteen miles within the hour in the midst of a very severe frost. The poor, persevering animal performed it in less than fifty-five minutes, but the violent concussions sustained by the body, and the battering upon the feet by the dreadfully hard state of the road, produced symptoms which soon put a period to his existence.