TROTTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 236, 5 October 1928, Page 12

TROTTING.

WHEEL AND TRACK NOTES. (By ORION.) October 13, 17—Auckland Trotting Club: October 22—Oanmru T.C. October 22—Northland T.C. November 6. 8. 9 —Metropolitan T.C. November 17. 21—Otabnna T.C. November 24—Wellington T.C. November 29. December t—Forbury Park T.C. December B—Walkato T.C. December B—Cheviot T.C. December 15. 17—New Brighton T.C. December 26—Gore T.C December 27. 29. 31—Auckland Trotting Club. December 26 —Ashhurton U'.C. December 26. 27—South Walraraua T.C. December 26, 27—Westoort T C. December 29—W!nton T.C. December 31—Inangahua T.C. Mr. Morgan O'Brien is the new owner of Prince Pointer. W. Turner is busy at Claudelands with the trotters Peter McKinney and Carwood. J. J. Kennerley will leave Christchurch to-morrow with Jackie Audubon and Fight Ever, who are well engaged at the Auckland meeting.' In the South Padlock is favourite for the New Zealand Trotting Cup, with Ahuriri and Jack Potts next in favour. Andover and Single Mint and another pair are in steady work at Claudelands. They aro being cot ready for the country circuit by .T. Kelly. Red Dennis, Lena Ansel, and Regret are being kept going by J. G. Brown at Claudelands. Regret is a very speedy pacer, but erratic, and so far has proved very unreliable. Regret may be getting solid with age. Mr. H. A. Jarden has been appointed handicapper to the Oamaru Trotting Club and will make ttfe adjustments for the meeting to be held on October 22. { Mr. Jarden is well known in trotting circles as a sporting journalist. The Australian Trotting Club, which races at Victoria Park (N.S.W.), has a peculiar idea of catering for good horses. The prize for the winner of a Trial Handicap at the last meeting was £86, the winner going 3.38 for a mile and a-half. In the Flying Mile the winner had to go 2.15 to get £60. '

R. Berry will arrive from the South about Tuesday next with Machine Gun and Sunfish. Machine Gun is reported to be very well, and he invariably goes good races at Epsom. Sunflsh is an improving pacer who promises to develop into a handicap horse. Both owned by Mr. Geo. McMillan. A recent winner in America of interest to New Zealanders is a 3-year-old geld ing by Peter Chenault, who is now doinj stud duty in the Dominion. The coll Peter McKinney won a three-year-olc pace, best two out of three mile heats He won the first in 2:12} and the seconc in 2.13}. He was second in the third heat won in 2.12}, The track was wet anc •low. At the annual meeting of members oi the Thames Trotting Club a suggestion was made that the club should include in its programme a race for unhoppled horses (pacers and trotters). Whil( the aim of clubs should be to cater foi all classes of horses it would be a retrograde step to introduce an unhoppleci event. The Auckland and Otahuhv Trotting Clubs have cut such races oui of their programmes, recognising thai they have been little short of fiascos. It Is to be hoped Ggld Jacket has noi turned sour. When trained by H Kinnamont the Gold Bell gelding "was not as solid as could be desired, and time after time he settled his chances,is a race by tangling for ' apparently nc reason whatever. Yesterday, in his workout, he would do nothing right and not only did he tangle, but'- he was almost galloping at times, although he was hoppled up. L. McMahon has brought Gold Jacket*. along from a moderate racehorse to a high-class performer, and it will W bad luck If the black gelding becomes erratic just'when he is able to win £1000 handicaps. The workout between Jewel Pointer and Western King yesterday over l a mile and a-half was one of the best registered at Alexandra Park; for some time. Both are brilliant pacers, and when full speed was clapped on over the last half-mile they came home at a great pace. In all his work in company lately-; Jewel Pointer has acted the role of pacemaker, and this is according to plan. In the past the little fellow has Men Inclined to loaf whenever he has hit the lead in a race, and J. Shaw is endeavouring to get him to race' as freely in front a| he does when in behind a horse. There was no doubt about the way he went yeater••ay- - s. » If the rise or fall of stake money can # *t?k en a ? a as to the progress of the trotting sport in Sydney, the baro> meter shows the light harness sport is not on the up grade. Twelve months ago a day s racing at Enning carried £1000. It now carries £600. The thing that hurts owners and trainers is that so far from a reduction of prize money the financial condition of the club would justify ZZTtT' Trotting "Record." During the past twelve months the club has received some £10,000 from the tin hare people for rent of the centre of the hppins course for a dog-racin<* track »" d >( *IO,OOO had been added £ the £600 per meeting, e*eh day's racinsr would have earned £1100. The general opinion is that there is no justification for the club hoarding up this money, it being a non-proprietary concern. There : would appear to be more sentiment among trotting' than galloping men, judging from the number of handsome monuments erected over noted trotters of the past in the United States. Among the finest is that erected over the remains of American Girl, 2.10}, a noted trotter of the seventies. On a handsome pedestal at Elmira, Orange country, is a lifesize statue of American Girl, said to be one of the most life-like ' models of a racehorse in the world. It is now proposed to erect a monument over the remains of Peter the Great. Peter died five years ago, and was buried on the Laurel Hall Farm, where his grave has been carefully kept up, beautifully turfed and planted with flowers. A movement w now on foot to transfer the remains of eter. Great to Kalmazoo, where he foaled, and erect a monument over inem worthy of the great progenitor, v '•••'" -' ' # X&> s.

Lady Somerset, who a few seasons ago showed a lot of speed, but was very erratic in her behaviour in races, is now being trained by W. Stevens at Claudelands. The same trainer has Gold Star, and two maiden trotters, one by Gold Bell—Diamond Bell, and the other by Wildwood Junior—Daphne Dillon. The last-named is a full sister to that good trotter, Young Blake.

Auckland's'prospects of supplying the winner of the Great Northern Derby are not getting any brighter as the race draws near. Trustworthy is merely doing steady exercise, without showing any speed, and she may not be tuned up sufficiently to display the form she showed last autumn when she won a couple - of races. Rolfe Audubon did not go at all well yesterday in a workout. Certainly he showed speed over a mile and a-quarter, but he was not pacing evenly and threatened to go to a tangle at any moment. All the same he looks like being a good one later on. Bloss Audubon is not being speeded up at all, and on anything he has done cannot hope to hold his own with the southerners. He is a common-looking customer, but he does what is asked of him right, and therefore he at least promises well the future. Bell Axworthy, who arrived from Matamata on Tuesday, has met with an injury, and was very lame yesterday, which is not going to assist her. Alice Axworthy came back from Sydney on Monday with S. August, but her form on the other side was very poor, and she cannot be considered as a possibility on that form.

The Hambletonian Stake, No. 3, for three-year-old trotters, decided at Syracuse on August 27, was won by Mr. D, M. Look's colt Spencer, by Lee Tide— Petrex, in two straight heats, run in 2.2§ and 2.4 respectively. Guy Abbe, by Guy Axworthy—Abbacy, was second, and Scotland, by Peter Scott—Roya McKinney third. Describing the race, the "Horse Review" has thefollowing: "When W. H. Leese took Spencer to the front, after tedious scoring for the first heat, and led with him to the quarter in 295, and to the half: in 60}, it was predictedthat the clip would weary the son of Lee Tide, but he kept on to win from Scotland by two open lengths, finishing fresh and strong in 2.2}. Scotland had trailed, with Otzinachson rac ng third to the three-quarters, the last-named falling back at that point. Just back of Scotland came a quintet, finishing almost on even terms, Gayl worthy coming third, with Coburn. Guy A Vibe, Otzinachson, and Etto Volo lapped. The time of the heat was within ,a half-second of the race record (Z,2) for three-vear-olds, held by Mr. McElwvn. That Spencer was master of the field was clearly demonstrated when he. set his own pace again in the second heat and won in 2.4. Scotland had been sent away lengths back, but, trotting a terrific clip, was lapped on Spencer at the half in l.lis then the pace told on him. for he finished seventh. Brinsinsr Guy Abbe up from fifth place at the half. Vic Fleming had him trotting fast in the stmtch. and for an instant appeared as if his sprint would enable him to ovorhanl Spencer. Lees, however, called on h'« colt, and h« sprinted, too.- so Guv AKhe finishprl r> half-length back nf his wheel."

AUCKLAND TROTTING CLUB.

ACCEPTANCES CLOSE TO-DAY. Acceptances for the first day of the Auckland Trotting Club's spring meeting close at 5 p.m. to-day, and they will be published in an Edition of the "Star" shortly after that hour.