TROTTING NOTES

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21419, 11 March 1935, Page 14

TROTTING NOTES

Reminders Nominations for the Manawatu and Thames meetings will close on March 15. Acceptances for the Cheviot meeting will close to-day. Spirited Speculation The Washdyke Handicap was easily the best betting race of the Timaru meeting on Saturday, and while Taxpayer was favourite with 810 tickets, the next three, Rey Spec, Bracken and Elvo, all carried more than 7UU .tickets. The fifth favourite, Willow Wave,' however, carried only half as many tickets as the fourth fancy. True as Steel Bracken ran two sterling races on Saturday, and after making a fine but unsuccessful effort to overhaul Little Nelson in the Timaru Cup, she showed the greatest gameness in stalling oft a challenge by Taxpayer in the Washdyke Handicap. Mr G. J. Barton came from Dunedin to see his mare race and must have been well satisfied with the consistent form shown. Boring Tendencies Little Nelson won the Timaru Cup like a good racehorse; but he still displays his boring tendencies, and possibly the luck of the race favoured him. His driver, O. E. Hooper, sent the gelding along from the half-mile post, and it was lucky he was able to get a position on the rails well clear of other horses. Once in the straight, his driver would have had a big job to get him away from the rails and in a position to issue a challenge. A special bit is required for Little Nelson to control him, and but for his boring tendency he might develop into a highgrade racehorse. A Spent Light Native Chief, a one-time champion sprinter, was started twice at Timaru on Saturday; but the public correctly judged his ability when they allowed him to go out the rank outsider in each race. He showed neither speed nor staying powers, and had he won he would have returned his few supporters more than a century in either race. He is plainly a light of other days. Where Reinsmansliip Tells Bosun, who won the Temuka Handicap, is never likely to cause much concern on metropolitan tracks, for he is not a steady trotter, and puts in a skin when he is beginning to feel the*strain of even trotting. His driver must always be prepared for this skip, and in the hands of a less experienced reinsman than D. Teahan, Bosun would not have won the Temuka Handicap. This race provided one of the most exciting finishes of the day, and Bosun was called on to fight out the finish with another very erratic trotter in Winsome Laddie, who also had the services of an expert in D. Withers. It is this type of battle which shows in bold reliof the calibre of our best reinsman.

Self-Imposed Handicap The Methven trainer, M. C. McTigue, has had John Jinks long enough to learn the gelding's peculiarities, and his third in the Washdyke Handicap on Saturday showed the champion two-year-old of his day to be returning to his best form. In the early stages of the race John Jinks lost just enough ground to make his task more difficult than the handicapper had done, and but for his self-imposed handicap he may have changed places with the winner. At the half-mile post ho had some lengths to make up, and in the straight he settled down to his task like a true racehorse. John Jinks has been off the winner's list for some time; but in McTigue's hands he may soon earn a winning bracket. John Jinks is a half-brother to Author Jinks, who won the Timaru Cup m 1929.

Daughter of Cup Winner In Lady Hannah, F. G. Holmes has a five-year-old mare that may yet make history, and but for serious interference in the Trial Handicap she would have played a big part in the finish. She got none the better of the start; but once into her stride she displayed a nice style of going and a lot of speed. With a little more than six furlongs to go, Lady Hannah had made up most of her leeway; but at that moment Cream Harvester broke up and dashed to th side of the track, carrying the bay mare with him. Even with this second setback Lady Hannah was in sixth place at the finish after a good performance. Lady Hannah is by Man o' War from Hannah M., who won the Timaru Cup for Mr M. Moran in 1919. From Track to Farm An interested spectator at Washdyke on Saturday was A. Fleming, one of New Zealand's leading drivers in the days when General Link, Our Thorpe, Don Wild, Partner, Locanda Mac, and Dean Dillon were at their best. Fleming has-forsaken the trotting sport for farming. Permit Surrendered The Wairarapa Trotting Club has decided to abandon its second race permit for the season, and has recommended that it be handed over to the Wellington "trotting Club. An official statement said the club had lost money I on all its meetings held during the l last five years, with the exception of that held at Hutt Park in 1933. Spare Sulky Needed A buckled wheel on Sea Peter's sulky was responsible for some delay at the start of the Trial Handicap at Timaru on Saturday, and though the starter, Mr A. J. Hastings, held the field up for 10 minutes, no sulky was available, and the field was dispatched without Sea Peter. Most of the leading clubs provide a spare sulky in case of accident; but the Timaru Club does not possess one. A very successful meeting on Saturday should put the club in a fairly good financial position, and part of the profits will probably be expended in the purchase of a sulky. Honouring the President Before the first race at Timaru on Saturday the committee and officials of the club met Mr John Hole, the veteran president, and presented him with a bridge cabinet and a cigarette lighter, on the occasion of his eightyfirst birthday. Mr J. Gilmore, the I vice-president, asked Mr Hole to accept the gift as a token of the esteem in which he was held by members of the Timaru Trotting Club and thanked him for the kindly interest he had always taken in sporting affairs in South Canterbury. Mr Hole said he hoped to attend meetings of the club for many years to come. A Change of Form Travis Pringle's brilliant exhibition of trotting aWthe last New Brighton meeting caused him to be sent out a very warm favourite for the Kingsdown Handicap on Saturday; but when the barriers were released he jigged on the mark, and resolutely refused to settle down to anything approaching a trot. His driver, C. King, persevered for a time, but eventually gave up the task. Travis Pringle completed half the journey some time after the race was finished. Over two miles later in the day, the Travis Axworthy gelding gave a different exhibition. He left the mark smartly, trotted in faultless style, but was beaten for staying power in a particularly fast race. He presents something of a problem for his connexions, and also for the stipendiary steward. A Converted Trotter Nelson Guy, who began racing as a pacer and established a mile record of 2min 16 3-ssec, has evidently fallen into his right role as an unhoppled trotter, and there was a lot oi merit in his win in the Kingsdown Handicap, of a mile and a half, in 3min 30 l-ssec. Nelson Guy had shown fair form at the previous Timaru meeting and again at New Brighton, and he appeared only to need more experience of racing to develop his true form. He is now eight years old. and is bound to win good races before the season is ended. He is bred the right way, for he is a half-brother to Nelson de Oro and Guy Bingen, and is by Repl I Guy—Effie Bingen. by Nelson Bingen—--1 Effiewood, by JVildwood —Effie, by

Electioneer —Maud of Berlin. There are all the blood lines here that go to make the champion trotter, and in the harrls nf T). Tpahan Nplson Guv will

nanas or u. xeanan, iNeison *juy wm be afforded every chance. Trotter in the Making R. Townley produced in the Kingsdown Handicap on Saturday, a promising trotter in Pleasant Voyage, by Happy Voyage from a mare by Jingle— Lluvia d'Oro. Pleasant Voyage .is a half-brother to Rustle and Royal de Oro, while Lluvia d'Ovo is the dam of Dillon Gold, Victor Bingen, and Lough Guy. The gelding showed a great burst of speed, to lead for about a mile, when lack of racing condition found him out. Full of Promise There are few more promising pacers in commission than Sea Trail, and the Wrack gelding put up a fine performance to take second place in the Trial Handicap at Timaru, behind Wee Wrack. With half the journey covered he was a long way from the leaders, but over the last three furlongs he showed exceptional speed and covered a lot of extra ground. He is trained by his owner, Mr H. Hewson, at Ashburton, and was driven by C. K. Yeatman. Sea Trail is four years old and is by Wrack from Nonnie, the dam I of Dilnon and Betty ,Wrack,