Juvenile Racing Will Encourage Breeding

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1063, 29 August 1930, Page 12

Juvenile Racing Will Encourage Breeding

Auckland Club’s Move

ONE of the greatest drawbacks to owners and breeders of trotting stock in the Auckland Province lias been the absence of races on programmes offering opportunity to young pacers and trotters to gain racing experience.

This neglect, or lack of enterprise, on the part of the authorities in Auckland, has been reflected in the Great Northern Derby results, which with almost monotonous regularity, broken ->nly on two occasions, the blue riband of the North has been captured by

lorses from the South. The coninued success of Canterbury eandiiates in the three-year-old classic >d to the opinion that Auckland was

deficient in trotting blood. But what encouragement has there been for owners in this province to breed on the best lines? Apart from the annual Derby contest there were no races for the juveniles, who suffered sorely in this respect when compared with their Southern rivals. Two-year-old Test The Ashburton Club paved the way for Derby ites by promoting at the end of each season the two-year-old Sapling Stakes, while some of the Canterbury country racing clubs stage light harness heats on their card, that give the youngsters the chance required to gain racing experience. Under this state of affairs it became practically an uneven contest when Southerners came to Auckland for the Northern Derby, and catching the best

of Auckland’s juveniles at a big disadvantage, the honours floated to th<• other Island almost continuously. For some time past The Sun, to give some encouragement to local youngsters. has advocated juvenile parades on similar lines to those held by several racing clubs, and which have proved invaluable to young galloping stock, but so far the advocacy appears to have fallen on unsympathetic ears. A Wise Suggestion However, it was pleasing to note that the president of the Auckland Trotting Club, in his annual address

to members the other day, stated that the question of putting on races for two and three-year-olds would in future receive attention from the committee. The suggestion was later endorsed by Mr. Mackenzie, chief of the Otahuhu Club, and judging from his remarks on the subject at the wind-ing-up function of his club, the question will n'ot be lost sight of in the near future. Mr. Rowe also referred with regret to the deletion by the Forbury Park Club of the Trotting Stakes for young square-gaiters, and he hinted that this important event might in future by sponsored by his club. The Auckland president has always been enthusiastic about the welfare of the trotter, and in his desire to improve the standard of this popular department of the sport Air. Rowe will not be fighting a lone hand. If the proposals figuring in the Auckland report reach consummation, it will be the first step toward advancement under the amalgamation scheme. Will Encourage Breeding Although belated, it is “never ton late to mend,” and the including of races for two and three-year-old pacers on the programmes of the local oi*ganisation will do a lot to further encourage breeding and induce more sportsmen to take a keen interest in the lierht harness sport. Auckland is well off for high-class trotting sires, but the breeding business in this province has not made the

desired progress mainly on account of lack of opportunities for well-bred youngsters. Now, however, is whiit can be taken as an assurance that the defect will be remedied in the near future, there should be a marked impetus in the breeding department, which cannot fail in a few -years to have an invigorating effect upon the

popular pastime in this province. Given facilities for moulding the young material in Auckland into shape to the same extent as in the South, the Derbies of the future at Epsom should find local candidates competing with equal chances of success against their Southern rivals.