PICEES AND TROTTERS

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 123, 21 November 1932, Page 6

PICEES AND TROTTERS

MILE RECORD ATTEMPTS

(By "The Eagle.")

The news that the Forbiiry Park Trotting Club has made arrangements for Harold' Logan and Todd, Lonzia to make attempts to lower, the mile records for pacers and trotters respectively at its forthcoming meeting revives memories of a few years \back when in order to popularise the'light' harness sport with the public many of the trotting clubs offered purses for' such attempts if successful. The Auckland Trotting Club in particular had for a number of years purses of £100 oh off et continuously lor.- horses lowering course or Australasian records. Nominations for these attempts were taken ongeneral entry night, and great •■ interest was taken in them by the' public. Many good horses in their day were tried out against time in these events, included among others being Dan Patch, Adelaide Direct, and Country Belle. It was at Alexandra Park on 30th December, 191G, that Adelaide Direct, driven by the lute 51 .Edwards, father of the well-known southern drivers of that' name, lowered the then Australasian record of 2min 7 l-ssec by covering the mile in 2min 6 2-ssec. This record stood till lowered by Our Thorpe about 1920 or 1921 to 2nun 6 l-ssec. This in turn was lowered

in the 1022-23 season by Happy Voyage, driven by -W. Tomkinson, to 2min 4 l-ssec in a successful attempt against time. Then came Aerou's record-breaking performance in the Free for All at Addington in Isovember, 1924, when from a flying start, which was then the vogue in such races, the son of Logan Pointer—Millie C recorded 2min 3 3-ssec for the mile, 'over which distance the Free for All was then run. Given fine weather and good course conditions next Thursday, it ia safe to assume that Harold Logan with a fiyin°start will considerably reduce the figures recorded by Acron. . ■ ■ . The one mile New Zealand record for trotters stands at 2min"ll 4-osec which was recorded by Keveiiue under saddle in a match against '■ time, and it is these figures that Todd Lonzia will attempt to better on Thursday. As Todd Lonzia recorded 3min 18 3-ssec for the one mile and a half in winning the Spring Handicap at the recent Metropolitan Meetinghe should be able to record good figures ror the mile attempt. It was on the Forbury track that Todd Lonzia made his record for two-year-old trotters in the winter ot 1930. A smart performance recorded by the son of Loreue Todd as a three-year-old was put up in winnin" the Progressive Handicap at Addington iS nnn£~ • m the creditable time of 3inin JO 2-osec, thus lowering by 1 l-ssec the previous. New Zealand three-year-old trotting record of 4min 27 3-ssec held by White Satin. Now a five-year-old, Todd Lonzia . appears to be improving all the tiine> and big things may be expected from him as the season advances. Word from the South states that the well-known trotting trainer W. J, Tomkinson has been laid up since the Metropolitan Meeting, and it is very unlikely that he will be able to accompany his team to the Fcrbury Meeting this week. The improving Girvan, who has won at his last two starts, figures among the acceptors for the Progressive Handicap at Forbury Park on Thursday. ; • ■ ■ Just Shandi, who won the Hokonui Trot at the Winton Jockey Club Meeting on Friday, is an aged gelding by John Dillon—lidith Charlotte,, and was making his first appearance since winning the OretiTrot on the second day of the same meeting last year, when he recorded 3min 38 2-ssec from a 3miu iosec mark. In his latest wm he went Smin 27 l-ssec from a 3mni 40see mark.

■William Tell, who finished sec6nd to Just Shandi on Friday and'followed this up by winning the Oreti Trot on Saturday, was a winner at Gore on Labour Day when he annexed the Labour Day Trotting Handicap. He is by Four Chimes— Lady Evelyn. ■••'''-.. . ■ • • ■ , T The T "Christehurcli' -TimesV- states > that Mr.. J. AY;: Murphy has presented Baron Bingen to hw trainer,-C.S. Donald. The son of Nelson Bingen-Bertha Bell was iuguly thought of as a juvenile; but though he has won several races and been frequently in- the places, he has in the main been something of a disappointment.