TROTTING

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 398, 5 July 1928, Page 7

TROTTING

(•y “ABAYDO3.”)

Metropolitan Card for Coming Season GOOD STAKES OFFERING LIMITS WELL TIGHTENED Larger stakes and tighter classes are prominent features of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s schedule of events for the 1928-29 season, which opens at Addington with the popular National fixture in August. The prize-money allotted for the various meetings under the auspices of the “Metro” body reaches the fine figure of £36,100. While the principal contest, the New Zealand Trotting, Cup, of 3,ooosovs, admits only the elite of the pacers and trotters, there are many great events for horses with records only one and two seconds slower. In addition, an important curtailment has been made of the limits for unhoppled trotters only, and the mini-

mum stake for the best pure-gaited performers is SOOsovs., which is a big increase on amounts offered this season. It would seem that the true trotting horse is about to receive wliat he has been entitled to for many years past, and it is predicted that in a few seasons the main attractions at imTrotters Well Treated t the series of races allotted to the 1 nni t J ie r>om inion Handicap, of l.OOOsovs, for horses that have done or nave been handicapped to do 4.34, is li.-VYf select It will be run on the first day of the November meeting-, and a wonderful race it should be All told the club will provide 10 laces, each worth l.OOOsovs as well as the Trotting- Cup of 3,ooos’ovs. The cla,ss for the National Cup, to be decided on August 17, is 4.27. The nm n /u Geol^ e Handicap, which is ineluded in the second day’s card is a nrovfdT? - 7 hS August Handicap will “ /.SO oV™er hat haVe d ° ne ’ or November carnival tlie Courtenay Handicap is 4.29, and the Christchurch Handicap 4.27. Speedy Sprinters A similar tiglitening-up has taken place in the sprint events. For inance, the St. Albans Handicap, to be Knfleld h f- iS a 214 class - the i-nheld Handicap for similar competitors is one second tighter. 4n the harness races the Sprinters’ Handicap is for horses that have done or been handicapped to do, 2.12, and the International is a 2.13 class. for the 10-furlong events the limits aie. Speedway Handicap 2.45, Fare- ",' e " 2 44 -, Hagley 2.43/ Royal 2.46. Hornby 2.49. Craven 2.46, Flying 2 46 ! 2.43. The stake for the chief race at the midsummer meeting has been increased from £7OO to £I,OOO, and the conditions provide for horses that have done or have been handicapped to do two miles in 4.30 or faster. Three-year-old Items During the season no fewer than three races will be confined to three-year-olds. The chief of these is the New Zealand Derby Stakes of £I,OOO, which will occupy a place on the secon dfty’s card in November. The Juvenile Handicap, of £3OO, a

handicap race, forms a part of the February entertainment, and the Welcome Handicap, of £4OO, will be staged at Faster. Besides a varied list of handicap races and the New Zealand Derby Stakes, that ever-popular item, the Free-for-AU, of £650, retains its place on the November programme. The distance in future will be one mile and a-quarter. The whole of the cards are extremely attractive and the New Zealand Metropolitan Club can look forward with optimism to a splendid season. Ball Opens in August The first of the Metropolitan carnivals will eventuate on August 11, 15, 17, and this fixture marks the opening of the new trotting season. It is always a popular function with owners, trainers and the public, and judging by the high-class bill-of-fare offering next month, the 1928 National carnival will add another success to an already long for all events on the big card will be received on Thursday, July 19, not later than 12 noon. trotting fixtures August 11. 15. IT.—N.Z. Metropolitan Oftober 15. 17.—Auckland T.C 1 . November 6, S, 9—N.Z. Metropolitan 1 17 21.—Otahuhu T.C. December 27,’ 19. Sl.-Auckland T.C. N O M I NATIONS j u l y i 9 (at noon).—N.Z. Metropolitan T.C.

ASM AN IA and Victoria are starting a system of handicapping on guesswork as to the respective speed of the various tracks in New Zealand and the Commonwealth, says a Sydney exchange. They could not go about it in a better manner were they in search of a system which will give the most dissatisfaction. Launceston, Tasmania, has started the ball rolling by slowing down its track with tons of loose ashes. Sydney tried it once by allowing three seconds to the mile on records made in New Zealand, but never again- Sheik, Delavan’s Quest, and Happy Rosa, on the supposition that New Zealand tracks are faster than Sydney, were allowed three seconds to the mile concession. After winning race after race, the trio put up faster times in Sydney than they had ever done in New Zealand.