TROTTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 51

TROTTING.

FIXTURES. July 4.—Oamaru (two events). July 25.—South Canterbury Hunt (one event). August 8, 12-,• Metropolitan. TRACK TALK.

By

ADONIS

PLACE BETTING. Among the .remits to.be dealt with at the Trotting Gonie-rence-next month is one which aims at-giving ■ the betting public the opportunity of backing a horse for a straight-out win ’<ir for a place—first second, or third. At present the totalisator in New Zealand pays .out on first and second horses .onlv. .when there are six or moie starters. and .on the first horse only when there are less than six starters. In place betting there are two proposals tor the division of the pool. One is that the total amount on the machine should be divided into three equal portions and the other is that the division should be .j 0 per cent, to backers of the winner 30 per cent, to backers of the sicoiid horse, ami 20 per cent, to I,ackers of the third Irorse: There is little doubt that pl tee betting’will' find favour with the public it it is brought into orieration but the method <,f division could be made even more attractive.

In England thereof is not divided until the amount covering' the tickets to be paid is set aside. For instance, should the total investments .on. the machine in a race be £lOOO. (after .the tote percentage ? n, * o t J' xeH I)f l ve bet "‘ deducted), and there is £_oo on the winner, £5O on the second horse, and £l2O on the third, these amounts totalling £420, would be first taken from The £lOOO. There would then be left £pBo, and this amount would be divided into proportions of 50 per cent., 30 per cent., and 20 per cent, under the present system of paying first _;J econ d horses the dividends would be £3 and £»>, but on English courses, where three dividends are paid, the prices would be £2 3s, £4, and £1 19s. The strong point about the system in England is that every backer of a placed horse must at least receive the amount of his investment. and he does not lose any portion, as so often happens under the method ruling in New Zealand when a favourite finishes second. THE OAMARU EVENTS. The two trotting events to be decided at the Oamaru Jockey Club's meeting on Saturday have drawn good fields, -winch look capable of providing interesting contests. A very promising sort in Gunfire is sure to appeal to backers in the Oamai u Handicap, but many will be prepared to back Ron and Headlight to beat him. lhe backmarker in the Waikawa Handicap. Great Chenault, has the speed to gather up those in front of him, but there is a doubt about him going away light. For that reason Gold Spear and John Appear may be preferred. SHOEING AND BALANCING. We easily recall the days when, on the occasion that a famous trotter o r pacer was to be shod, or reshod, a “ gallery ” of deeply-jnterested spectators was always on hand, so numerous that late-comers had to crane their necks or stand on tip-toe to get fleeting glimpses of what was going on (says the Horse Review). The word was, in fact, often passed around that such and such a. star was going to be “ under the tent,” say “ to-morrow, morning ” or “this afternoon,” and the “shoeing sharks,” the owners and trainers of steeds whose footgear was giving them grey hairs, would make it a point to “be on the spot,” eage r to see and hear, to “mark and inwardly digest.” This no longer occurs because the shoeing and balancing of a harness racehorse has become so greatly simplified as, except in special cases, seldom to excite attention outside the stable to which it belongs.

“ Them was the days ” when such stars as Klamath 2.81, the famous “ Cookie,” was one of the sensations of the Grand Circuit. “ Cookie ” had forefeet the shape of an egg that had grown on the bias, in addition to which he carried’ an abnormally high heel. Still additionally he wore the famous “ Raymond bit,” invented by his owner-trainer-driver, Tom Raymond, especially for him, an appliance that was one of the last words in the fantastic so far as bits were concerned, 35 years ago; but owing to his success, one with which thousands of long-suffer-ing steeds were later decked out. Previous to this, the acme had been reached in the bit invented by Crit Davis for use on the famous gelding Prince Wilkes 2.14 J, the rival of Harry Wilkes 2.13 J, Patron 2.14|, and Belle Hamlin 2.12 J. Prince Wilkes was a determined, powerful horse, pacing-bred on his dam’s side, wearing a lot of iron in shoe and toe-weight and taking such a terrific hold of the bit that in order to control him Davis invented the one that bore his (Davis’s) name, which also found its way into almost every training stable in the land of any size or note. Thus rigged, and with Davis—a large, powerful man, far over-weight—laying back in the sulky and pulling for dear life, Prince Wilkes was nevertheless one of the king-pin trotters of his day (the later ’eighties) and the worse the heats were split the better he liked it. Harry AVilkes, on the other hand—he was the fastest trotter sired by George Wilkes—was a mere pony in size. He wore a plain bit, but being also from a pacing-bred dam, and with a strong desire to pace, required a lot of weight in order to balance him at the trot. Despite this, however, he was the king of the turf for seasons and could go any number of heats.

To-day (says the Review) both Harry Wilkes and Prince Wilkes—in their own time the two fastest trotters in the Wilkes family, and to which much of its fame was due when its popularity was being established —would never be heard of as trotters. Both, undoubtedly, would be hobbled pacers; or, possibly, free-legged ones, but pacers, whatever else.

CUP ELIGIBLES.

Now that the conditions for the next New. .Zealand Cup have been announced, it is of interest to run through the list of horses who are eligible to compete. Horses who have been handicapped to

Vesuvius last won off 4.28 and his next handicap is doubtful. The Abbey and Cars dinal Logan have been handicapped on 4.26, but have since been let out in the handicaps. Horses who have gone better than 4.26. but are handicapped outside a 4.26 limit

are: — Lindbergh .-. 4.18 Regal Voyage . . .. .. 4.19 2-5 Dundas Boy 4.22 3-5 Dillon Logan 4.23 Rollo 4.23 3-5 Peterwah 4.23 4-5 Linkman .. .. .. .. 4.24 St. George 4.24 Arefhttsa 4.24 Omaha 4.24 2-5, Grand Light . . . . ... 4.24 2-5 Neeoro 4.24 2-5 Meteor . . 4.24 2-5 Great Logan .. ~ .. 4.24 3-5 Pluto .. . . . . ~ . . 4.24 3-5 I Satin King .. .. .. 4.25 Red Shadow .... . . 4.25 The Abbey . . . . . 4.27 Caidinal Logan . . . . 4.27 4-5

Horses accepting in the Cup will, subject to penalties for placed performances, be handicapped for two-mile races on the same mark throughout the meeting.

do 4.26 or better are: — Harold Logan 4.13 2-5 Peter Bingen a a 4.18 4-5 Logan Chief a a 4.19 Vesuvius .. a a 4.20 1-5 Terence Dillon a a 4.20 1-5 Kohara a a 4.21 Wrackler .. a a 4.22 Travis Axworthy a a 4.22 Logan Park a a 4.22 1-5 Author Jinks 4.22 1-5 'Jewel Pointer a a ■4'22 1-5 King Pointer 4.22 3-5 Jack Potts 4.23 4-5 Roi 1’Or .. - . 4.23 4-5 Harold Thorpe a . 4.24 1-5 Carmel a a 4-.24 2-5 Native Prince a a 4.24 2-5 Gold Jacket a a 4.24 2-5 Free Advice 4.25 Kingcraft .. 4.25 1-5 Imprint 4.25 3-5 Machine Gun 4.25 4-5