TROTTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 4030, 9 June 1931, Page 51

TROTTING.

FIXTURES. June 13. —Ashburton. June 20. —South Canterbury (two events), June 20. 22, —Auckland. July 4. —Oamaru (two. events).

TRACK TALK. By Adonis THE SAPLING STAKES. . With the declaration of final forfeits a field of 20 i s left in the Sapling Stakes to be run at Ashburton on Saturday, and the problem of finding the winner is made all the harder by the fact that very few of the youngsters engaged have been seen under silk. On breedingnothing appeals more than Mr H. F. Nicoll s candidate Ciro, who is by Wrack from Pearlchild, and according to <reports from the north he has been showing in his work that he has a fine turn of speed. Another candidate who hag been shaping impressively in her track work is Edna Worthy, who is by Travis

Axworthy, from a Hal M'Kinney mare. Probably the most seasoned runner in the field will be Finnebrogue, who is by Matchlight from Lady Marjorie, and is in J. Bryce’s stables. There may be several champions in the making among the others, but the indications are that the order of favouritism will be Ciro, Finnebrogue, and Edna Worthy. BIG RACE AT ASHBURTON. The feature of the Ashburton meeting on Saturday is the County Handicap, and as practically all the horses engaged in it were racing at Addington last week backers will probably base their calculations on the form shown there. O. E. Hooper has three representatives in Milo Minto, Satin King, and Great Logan, and whatever he sends to. the post is certain to be backed. Grandlight raced badly last week, and on that form can be written out, but his stable-mate- Red Shadow appears to hold a chance. Rollo. Dillon Logan, and Pageant all raced well, last week, and if the first named begins well he will be.. a very hard horse to beat. Erin's Fortune and the WrackcenWrackler bracket will be supported, but the two last named horses may need a race. The field may carry a different complexion when acceptances are declared. but at the time of writing Satin King, Rollo, and Erin's Fortune appeal most.

BLACK LION’S CHANCE. Since Black Lion went into O; E. Hooper’s stable the supporters of the southern-owned pacer have been waiting for him to be started at one of the northern meetings, and probably this will be at Ashburton on Saturday. The Lee Norris gelding is on a 3.26 mark in the Acton Handicap; and as he went 3.17 3-5 to finish third on the second day of the Forbnry Park winter meeting lie must be regarded as holding a great chance. If Black Lion goes to the post there is no doubt about what will be favourite. BEAUTY OF CONFORMATION. The devotees of the light harness racehorse of the present period who were privileged to witness the performances of the fast trotters of 50 years ago and the immediately following decades are aware that the improvement in looks of the Standard-bred trotters has pretty well kept pace with the improvement in speed which - has been so marked during the past few decades (says an American exchange). That this should be so is not surprising. Beauty of conformation was something which was'given no consideration in the period when harness racing was in its infancy, and when no concerted effort had been, made to place the trotting horse on a distinctly breed basis. In, that era speed was the main and almost the only requisite demanded by the old-time

trainers, the greater number of whose campaigners were what may be termed made ” trotters that required years of persistent drilling to bring them to the point whefe they became useful racehorses. Most of them were extremely juain, especially those which carried none of the blood of the Morgan strain. The Morgans as a family possessed beauty of conformation in a greater degree than the other early trotting strains, but when conditions arose which required a greater degree of speed than the horses of that family possessed they soon ceased to be a factor in the racing world.