Trotting Schedule For Thames Fixture

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 570, 24 January 1929, Page 11

Trotting Schedule For Thames Fixture

POPULAR FUNCTION On Saturday, March 23, the Thames Trotting Club will stage its popular annual fixture on the Parawai racecourse, when another interesting programme of eight well-arranged events will be staged. Xo suburban club lias made more propress -luring the lust few years than the Thames trotting organisation, which is ably conducted by a live-wire executive, with Mr. James Twohill at the head, and secretary IC. O. Brownlee at the helm. The desire of this club has been to cater to the best of its ability for owners and trainers by framing a schedule that will prove suitable and also provide the numerous patrons with exciting sport. Various accommodation improvements for the convenience of trainers

have been effected, which are greatly appreciated, while the excellent transit arrangements also meet with the approbation of those taking charges to the meeting. The principal event scheduled is the Thames Cup. of two miles, with the useful limit of 4.42 and which i 3 endowed with a liberal stake of £350, the owner of the winner receiving £250 and silver cup valued at 25gns. Competitors in this race also have another chance later in the day when the Kopu Handicap is run over ten furlongs. The prize-money on this occasion is £135, and the race is for horses capable of going 2.54 (equivalent to 2.19 mile gait) or better. Novices which can run round about 2.29 to the mile (not a difficult task in these advanced days of the breeding business) will find their opportunity in th© opening heat. Hikutaia Handicap, of £IOO, over a irjile and a-half course, while another event that will appeal to the improvers is the Turua, run over the same distance, with a tighter limit of 3.37, and an increase in the stake of

£ls. Horses engaged in this class have the Kerepeehi Handicap earlier on the card to attract attention. This is one of the popular items, being’ a cup distance event, with a purse of £l3O and a limit of 4.50. From this class emerges the. future big handicap winners and the race is always an interesting one. Saddle horses are not forgotten by the Thames organisation, and the Puriri Handicap of <£lls, is confined to those who like the weight in the saddle instead of the sulky. The journey is the popular eight-furlong one. The Square-Gaiters Trotters of the maiden class have a contest set aside for their benefit, the Parawai Handicap of £IOO, the distance being twelve furlongs. It is a double-limit event, and while the front line is set at 3.52, horses having won in better than 2.30 (3.45) to the mile are not eligible to take part. The bigger fish are well catered for in the President's Handicap, a two-mile go, which carries prize-money to the extent of £2OO, the limit being elastically arranged at 4.58. Nominations for the eight heats close with the secretary at Thames, or with Mr. R. L. Absolum, of the Otahuhu Trotting Club, on Wednesday, March *> at 5 p.m.