ELLERSLIE BETTING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 28, 3 February 1939, Page 6

ELLERSLIE BETTING.

"Sportsman's" letter is merely an arrogant assertion of his qwn opinion. It is well known to all in control of racing at Ellerslie : and elsewhere-that there is a .definite diversity of • opiniqn on the respective merits of the win-., and-plaee and one-pool systems of betting. On . the only, occasions on which a vo£e was taken by the patrons of Tacing the single-pool won ■by .very large majorities.' However, opinions change, and in view of the pronounced success: of some of the clubs in New Zealand • which favour the win-and-place system^,. it may be that the patrons of Auckland and Avondale. : Racing Clubs would like to switch over. . From a close study of the matter for the past six. years, and from hundreds of inquiries from racegoers jis to their ideas, I am convinced that a majority of patrons of races really prefer, the single-pool system. I do not include the few hundred professional racegoing parasites who make a living by attending all race meetings and who batten on the ignorance 'of the general public, many of whom are "mugs." Thousands of patrons of Ellerslie and Avondale endorse the one-pool by tlieir silent acceptance of the system, while the win-and-place advocates make a lot of noise in their efforts to induce the Auckland and Avondale Clubs to change over. _ Surely the time has arrived for the taking of a vote on the matter from the patrons of both "clubs." "Sportsman's" assertion that the weather had' nothing to do with the falling off is really too' absurd* to notice. Good judges are satisfied that had Monday (the holiday) been a fine day the turnover for the meeting would have shown a substantial increase on 1935. The amount invested on Saturday showed an increase of some £.7000 on the total for the off-day of the same meeting last year. ; '' \ M. iMcCALLUM. As • a patron of the Ellerslie races for 35 years, please allow me a, small space to draw the attention to the out-of-date numbers board in the outside enclosure. No doubt thousands of racegoers think as I do, that those on the outside' are entitled to something better, as' it, is impossible to distinguish the numbers and the riders* names from the stands. While commending the improvements of recent years, one must confess that the stand accommodation and the numbers board belong to a past age. 808 TANNER.