AUCKLAND TROTTING CUP

NZ Truth, Issue 1151, 22 December 1927, Page 8

AUCKLAND TROTTING CUP

New Zealand's Best Pacers Engaged At Alexandra Park PROSPECTS oi A^GREAT RACE

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) JJESS than two decades ago trotting was treated more or less as a joke m this country, but nowadays matters m connection with the light-harness sport create Dominion-wide interest.,

THIS is not surprising when the enormity of stake -money on offer is taken into account. At the three-day A.T.C. fixture, booked for Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week, no less a sum than £15,005 is to be distributed m prize-money, the principal event being the Auckland Cup of 2200 soys., which also carries a gold cup trophy valued at 100 guineas. From this, second is worth 400 soys., third 200 soys. and fourth 100 soys.

Thus it is not' surprising to find the best pacers m ithe land booked to measure' strides. If it should turn out that Handicapper Paul succeeds m bringing •the field as close together at the end as m last season's 'contest it will inideed be a great race. The A.T.C. adjuster is one who does not stick strictly to times m his assessments. He risks his own judgment and so far has obtained

.great results. A close study of toil m connection with the Auckland Cup of Tuesday next reveals little to give punters a direct guide, though it is interesting to learn that at least a dozen are iikely to go to the post, including three N.Z. Cup winners — Ahuriri (twice), Kohara and Sheik. Ahuriri may turn out to' be the actual favorite on the day, especially if Kohara starts, when the atable pair would be bracketed. As for Ahuriri, it seems certain that ho is expected by the right people, despite failures up north last month iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiKiiii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiii

when he was not right up to concert pitch for the fray. . Sheik, on the strength of recent Australian wins, must be somewhere near his best form of the past, while no secret is made of the belief that Machine Gun will give it a decent shake and improve considerably on his best previous time. Jewel Pointer is the only Auckland candidate for battle against the opposition and he is m the same buckle as when he took three "thousand-

pounders" m succession during the spring. Tom Thumb has his admirers, while the mysterious iConcliff still has the heads thinking as to his - real staying quality with the speed right on — and it will be on with the track firm next week. Cardinal Logan is up near the front, while Jack Potts must have some show or he would not be m. Peterwah is the only trotter among

the pacers and though good as a trotter will find the task hard. Sea Pearl will be there to help Machine Gun's supporters as a bracketed companion, while at 78yds. behind Great Bingen is set no impossible task when it is realized that the race has been won m the past by horses further back. It promises to be a great race and when they rush past the judge the following may be within easy range of each other m disputing the stake: MACHINE GUN, JEWEL POINTER, SHEIK, and AHURIRI. MllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllinillllllllllllllilllltlltiiirillliliiNiiiiiiniiii