Sporting

Lake County Mail, Issue 41, 17 March 1948, Page 3

Sporting

NEWS AND VIEWS

By Old Bill

Wyndham Trotting Club The Silver Jubilee meeting of the Wyndham Trotting Club will be held on Saturday, and as excellent fields are engaged, including the Wyndham Juvenile Stakes, this year’s meeting should be one of the most successful ever held by this popular Southland trotting- club. Southland Successes At Trentham hist Saturday Southland stables were well in the limelight as Signal Officer, Excellency and Desert Girl were all returned as winners. A feature of these wins was the fact that the Southland stallion Salmagundi sired all three.

SIGNAL OFFICER Winner of the principal event at Wellington. Wynclham Handicap The W'ymlliam Trotting Club ITamlica]) of two miles, to lie decided on Saturday, should provide a great contest as it contains four recent winners in Melvian. Trustee, Sunny Hall, and Sand Piper. Melvia n won the Southland Handicap impressively at his last- start while Sunny Hall scored a very easy win over two miles at the same meeting. Sami Piper won over the same distance at Kaikonra recently and at his last start he was second to Melvian. 1 rustee has been a model of consistency, having gained two firsts and two seconds in his last four starts and a meeting between these four should provide a stirring contest befitting the occasion of the club’s Silver Jubilee. Promising Young Trotter The four-year-old gelding Barrier Reef, by U. Scott out of that grand race mare of a few seasons back, Rocks Ahead, promises to step his way into the top flight among the trotters. He gave an outstanding display of trotting at Invercargill on March 6 to win over two miles in 4min .‘lSsec on a slow track and if produced at Wyndham on Saturday is sure to he a warm favourite. Won at Birchwood Tarawa Derby won in excellent style at Birchwood on Saturday and should more than pay his way during the rest of the season. Good in Saddlfe Showing a fine turn of speed to take the lead from 24 yards behind shortly after the start of the Wallace Saddle Trot last Saturday. Double Dillon ran a fine race and was just beaten by a long head by Walnut Hall right on the post. This Dillon Hall five-year-old mare is engaged at Beaumont and a win for her is indicated in the not too far distant future.. Classic Winner The winner of the Southland Three-year-old Stakes Brynawelon. is bred on attractive lines, being by Dillon Hall — Orovale, by Rey de Oro —Vasiliki, by El Carbine. The easy manner in which he won points to him playing a prominent part in the finish of the Wyndham classic on Saturday. Bingen Dale The maiden trotter Bingen Dale, who ran second to Barrier Reef at his last start, is sure to be among the favourites for the Ferry Handicap at Wyndham on Saturday. His last performance was a

good one as lie made Barrier Reef do Iris best over the last half mile and his time of 4min 41 l-sseo under the prevailing conditions was a fine effort. Walnut Hall Walnut Hall just beat Double Dillon on Saturday, but the manner in which he finished on over the mile and a-quarter suggests that a longer journey would not trouble him. He is engaged in the Bdendale Handicap, of one mile and five furlongs, at Wyndham on Saturday. Forbury Centennial Cup The Forbury Park Trotting Club has decided to give a stake of £5250, including’ a gold cup valued at £250, for the Centennial Cup to be run on Saturday, April 24. The total stakes for the meeting amount to £20,000 and are the most ambitious the club has ever presented. As the class attached to the Cup is for horses assessed at 4min 21sec or faster, but will be open to those on 4min 22sec who will, however, be handicapped as though assessed on 4min 21 sec, the club should attract the best class of horses in training and the meeting should go down in history as one of the best ever held at Forbury. Convincing Win Cover Drive scored one of the easiest wins of the day at the Birchwood meeting last Saturday and on this display he should win again soon. He has been nominated for the Beaumont Easter meeting. Riverton Prospect Jimmy the One boat a smart field of hacks in the Kennels Handicap at Invercargill on Saturday in effortless style and on this performance must be granted a great chance in the Visitors’ Handicap of six furlongs to be run at Riverton. Roxburgh Trotting Club The popular Central Otago fixture of the Roxburgh Trotting Club is to be held on the club’s ground at Roxburgh on April 3. Nominations for all events 1 t are due at 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, and withdrawals close with the secretary at 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 25. Beaumont Meeting Acceptances for the Beaumont meeting are due on Thursday, March IS, at G p.m. Riverton Acceptances The acceptances for the Riverton Easter meeting are due to-morrow. Champion Filly Excellency, who won the North Island Challenge Stakes in record time at Wellington on Saturday, can safely be claimed as the best filly ever bred in Southland. Great Western Steeplechase Irish Wit won the Gardner Memorial Steeplechase with a lot in reserve on Saturday and >s sure to be favourite