TROTTING Scheme To Bring Best Horses To Championship

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28539, 19 March 1958, Page 5

TROTTING Scheme To Bring Best Horses To Championship

A scheme designed to ensure strong Australian representation when next the Inter-Dominion

Championship series was run in New Zealand, was adopted at a . meeting of the Inter-Dominion Trotting Conference in Adelaide. News of the scheme was given yesterday by the president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference (Mr C. S. Thomas), of Christchurch, who represented the conference at the meeting.

After Mr Thomas had outlined the difficulties experienced by New Zealand clubs in attracting a few of the best horses in Australia to championship series in this country, Dr. T. Early (West Australia) proposed a scheme to overcome this. The scheme was adopted unanimously. It was proposed that .some time before the championships were held in New Zealand each State should put on a race with a substantial stake for the best-class horses. A proportion of the stake, possibly about £5OO would be held by the club as expenses towards taking the horse to New Zealand. The money would be held until the horse had competed and returned to Australia. If the connexions of the winner of the race were unwilling to travel to New Zealand and the second horse was a worthwhile proposition and his connexions were prepared to make the trip, then the money would go to them, said Mr Thomas.

Everyone at the meeting agreed that the scheme would be easy to work and it would have the effect of giving Australia very strong representation. Under such a scheme it would be possible to get horses such as Radiant Venture and Fettle, which, he felt, would be well up to the best New Zealand class, said Mr Thomas. Filins of Races

In Australia, Mr Thomas, Mr A. J'-Nicoll, of Ashburton, a member of the conference executive, and Mr D. F. Glanville, of Christchurch, who represented the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club at the series, examined the equipment used for filming races at Morphettville and Wayville.

Such films were of great benefit in helping to check interference in races, said Mr Thdmas. This had not been adopted in New Zealand before because of the great expense involved, but the results gained in Australia made it clear that this was a difficulty which could be overcome.

Among the films examined were some taken at day meetings and others taken at night. All of them could have been of great value to stipendiary stewards in inquiries.

There was an idea that it was sufficient to take films at the entrance to the home straight and approaching the winning post, said Mr Thomas. Such films were

not altogether satisfactory as they were taken head-on to the horses and they gave no idea of the distance between them. It would be necessary to have cameras {placed all round courses so that I not only changes in the running, but the distances between the horses could be clearly seen. Short Track While the racing in Adelaide had been spectacular, it was not racing as was understood in New Zealand, said Mr Thdmas. The, two-and-a-half furlong track was

a little longer than the running track at Lancaster Park. It could be realised from that what a difficult task back-markers faced.

The New Zealand horses were not a serious threat at the series. False Step did not appear to race with\ the dash he had in New Zealand; his stablemate, Caduceus. was very sore and unable to give of his best; and Gentry had not been able to handle the turning track.

Apart from Radiant Venture and Fettle, Mr Thomas had been most impressed by the ability of the three-year-old, Fiery Land, winner of the Sires’ Produce Stakes and the South Australian Derby at Wayville.