CANTERBURY NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 226, 24 September 1929, Page 12

CANTERBURY NOTES.

TOM THUMB ON TRACK AGAIN PURSER ON THE IMPROVE. ) (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.") CHRISTCHURCH, this day. D. Warren, who has charge of Mr. H. F. Nicolls' team at Ashburton, was unable to drive, any of the team that started on Saturday, as he is laid up owing to having received a kick from one i of the Jiorses. f After racing at the August meeting at j Addington Talaro returned to his owner's place at Fernside, where he has been enjoying a spell. Ho lightened up k a good deal, and he was not. at his best t last month. The spell should have done r him a lot of good. He will be sent to F. Holmes' stable this week to be prepared for the New Zealand Cup. Tom Thumb has not raced since he competed in the chief event at the Wel- : lington Trotting Club's meeting last ; January. Ho is now in steady work at North Canterbury. The three-year-old Purser went a good race in the Karamea Handicap at the \ Earthquake meeting at Addington, until he met with a mishap to his sulky and ■ had to be pulled up. In the mile and a-quarter event at Ashburton on Saturday Purser finished second to the welltreated Wrackler, and there is no doubt that the Addington.race had done him a lot of good. Purser looks as though he will show further improvement with more racing. Ecstacy did a good deal of racing last season, starting on fourteen occasions. She won three races, and was placed four times. The daughter of Logan Pointer is doing a lot of useful work at Addington, and she should race in improved form when next she is started. Ecstacy scored her last success at the Cheviot meeting last April, winning the mile and a-quarter event, while in the following race —over a mile —she was second to Fair Dillon.

PERTH'S CHRISTMAS CARNIVAL.

Advance in many respects in trotting in Western Australia is shown by the issue of the programmes for the Christmas 1 carnival. There will be four nights racing and 24 events will be carried out. The amount set aside for stakes is £5500, and of this £1500 has been apportioned for the W.A. Trotting Cup. This event will be contested in preliminary heats and a final, and for ,heat winners there will be £300. The distance has been fixed at one mile and a-half, and only those horses holding money winning records of 2.19 or better will be eligible. The class for this race and for all other events at the carnival have been tightened. The City Handicap, the most important race on the opening night is for 2.18. horses. On the third night there will be a mile and three-quarters event for 2.21 and better horses, and.on the last night a two miles race for 2.2 and better horses. Other classes are provided for, and there will be distinct events for square-gaited performers and for horses bred in Western Australia.