THE OTAHUHU TROTTING MEETING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 830, 1 February 1906, Page 7

THE OTAHUHU TROTTING MEETING.

The Otahuhu Trotting Club’s Summer Meeting will take place at Alexandra Park on February 17, 21, and 24. The programme, which appears in our advertising columns, is, as usual, a well-arranged production, all classes of horses being catered for. On the opening day the chief events are the Otahuhu Trotting Cup of 115 sovs, two miles; the Class Trot of 50sovs, one mile and a-half; and the Otahuhu Pony Cup of 50sovs, six furlongs and a-half. On the second day the leading items will be the Summer Trot of 50sovs, two miles; and the High-class Trot of 50sovs, one mile and a-half. On the concluding day most attention will centre on the Criterion Trot of 60sovs, two miles, and the February Trot of 50sovs, one mile. Altogether the sum of £lOl5 will be given in stakes. Owners should bear in mind that entries for all events close with Mr. F. D. Yonge, tne secretary, to-morrow (Friday), at 9 p.m.

The “ Special Commissioner” of the London “Sportsman” is among those who have a good word for the totalisator, and he touches on the matter as follows: —“ In my humble opinion, the totalisator is the greatest of all boons to the turf when its profits are applied to the benefit of breeding or racing; and it is for that reason that in the Argentine such large stakes are now being realised for yearlings. We now see how France is going ahead on the same lines, for who can doubt it in the face of this week’s sales? Facts are stubborn things, and were it not that we have the monopoly of our own and the Irish land and climate, I should see reason to fear that at no distant date France would be the premier nation for bloodstock, superseding ourselves. Only a few years ago it was more or less necessary to take mares to France to be sold there, at Deauville or in Paris, but now they are bought wholesale at Newmarket by M. Halbronn, who used to sell them by auction in France, and, what is more, he gives immeasurably greater prices than those for which he knocked down the dams of such as La Carmargo, Masque, Perth 11., and many other great winners. He and his friends will be lucky if among all his purchases he has secured any up to that old standard, when every mare was specially selected before being sent to France for sale, but that is their affair, not ours.”

The results of the Calcutta Third Extra Meeting, held on Saturday, December 16, are also to hand. Great Scot was a runner in the Wellesley Plate, and started favourite at 5 to 2, but he tried to savage every horse that came nigh, and ran an arrant cur. The race, one mile and a quarter, was won by the English horse Applause (10 to 1), with Saloon second, and Long Tom third. Besides Great Scot, Cherson, Pure Gold, Killeevan, Sacristan 11., and Trenayr were among the beaten division. Regio, starting a hot favourite, won the Fort Plate, five furlongs, beating a bigfield. The ex-Aucklander Signorina (late Sonica) repeated her previous success in the Peel Plate, and the English horse Insurrection won the Cornwallis Plate. The Caulfield Cup winner, Lieutenant Bill, was the favourite, but he did not get a place.