TROTTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 148, 25 June 1931, Page 15

TROTTING.

HANDICAPPING PROBLEM MATTERS FOR CONFERENCE. OWNERS DISSATISFIED. SOMETHING DEFINITE REQUIRED., There will be several points raised in connection with handicapping when the conference meets in July at Wellington, and just what will happen can only bo conjectured.- That the present system is unsatisfactory cannot bo denied,;, because there has been more discontent during the past 12 months than during any; previous season. Whether it is the fault of the system or the various opinions of handicappers matters little —what docs' tnatter is the fact that-it, or they, a,re not giving satisfaction, and owners, are now seeking something definite, something that cannot be departed from and all horses will receive the same treatment.

If this is what owners want, and it seems they do, then there is nothing better than the system put forward some time back by Messrs. J. R. McKenzio and D. F. Glanville, both prominent owners who have exhibited the true sporting spirit in the interests of the lightharness sport. Their system is handicapping on purely a money-winning basis, and a horse is penalised according to the amount of money ho wins, and not the time he goes. It would not be necessary, therefore, to takes times at all, except for the purposes of keeping records. Whether the money-winning system would prove the solution to the present difficulty only a trial would show, but a perusal of the performances of a number of horses taken at random thifl season, and penalising them on the moneywinning basis suggested by Mr. MeKenzie, shows that the ultimate marks of the horses would vary little from their present handicaps as awarded under the system which the handicappers are supposed to be operating to-day. _ Bearing' this important fact in miild it would seem that the money-winning system-is to bo preferred, because it treats alt horses ; exactly, the same, gives no. room for handicappers to hold opinions, and really does away with handicapping, because horses automatically handicap themselves.

The writer, when Messrs. McKehzie and Glanville first propounded their system, raised the question of imported horses that had won little money, but were known to be fast. 11l conversation during the recent Auckland meeting, Mr. MoKenzie said that imported liorfeos would start in New Zealand from marks equivalent to their .records bofore importation,"irrespective of the amount of money they had Avon. This is the only correct attitude to adopt and it would mean that they would thus receive similar treatment to the New Zealand horses. ' , . . All things considered there is much to be said for ; giving the money-winning system a trial- At least it means the same treatment for all, which te something, owners contend horses do not get to-day. Again it would save ClubS a considerable sum paid to handicappers because the secretaries officiating at the meetings could allot the handicaps m a few minutes. '• ' -v As-it is some time since. Messrs. Mc- : Kenzie and Glanville first -submitted their system it may be opportune to publish the table set out showing penalties . for amounts won. It is as under; —

During the Auckland meeting Mr. MoKenzie mentioned that since the above table was compiled both he and Mr. Glanville had given the matter further consideration and thought that perhaps the Penalties in the very slow classes could e a little more. :-

Scale of Trotting Handicaps. 1 it lb ■ i§ 2", . '. mild, nillfts. Uliles. miles. fflJlei. .i o »5T 3 5 3.43 4.3 o.l . ou £26 3.4"' 3.41 4.1 4.50' .100 2.25 3.3 3.40 4.0 4.5 1. 150 <> 04 .31 3.30 3.58 4.5os 200 i'23 3.1 3.37 3.55 4.52 _o0 2 22 2.50 3.86 - 3.53. •• 4.o0 rf-<» 2.21 2.58 3.34 3.52 4.48 400. 220 2.57 3.33 3.50 '-'4.46 **W' 210- 2.56 ■ 3.31 .3,40 '4.44, 2.1S 2.54 '3.30 3.47 4.42 ,i00 217 "" 2.53" 3.28 3.45 4.40 . . $00 0 *16 2 52 3.27 3.44 4.38 . 1000 2 IS 2 50 3 25 3.42 4.36 - 1200 214 246 3*24 3.42 4.35 ' 1400 2'14 A 2.40 3.24 3.41 4.34 1600 213 2 48 3.23 ' 3.30 4.33 1850 ■>'ISA 0 47 3 22 3.30 4.32 2100 912 * 46 3.21 3.38 4.31 2350 2.12A 2.46 ' 3.21 3.37 f 4.30 2650 2 11 2 45 3.20 .>.36 4.-0 3000 211A 2.44 3.10 3.36 4.28 3400 210 2.43 3.18 4.27 5955 2! 10 A 2.43 3.18 3.34 4.26 4o00 2 0 2.42 3.17 3.32 4.25 5100 *> OA ' 2 42 3.16 3.32 4.24 5700 28 2.41 3.15 3.31 4.23 6300 2 8A 2 41 3.15 3.31 4.22 7200 If 2.40 3.14 3.30 4.21 o i a 30 3.13 3.20 4.20 10,000 id 2.38 3.11 .3.27 4.18 IfiM 2.6 2.38 3.12 3.28 4.10 12,000