Metropolitan Club To Maintain Cup Stakes

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29004, 19 September 1959, Page 6

Metropolitan Club To Maintain Cup Stakes

; Stakes totalling £35,650, 1 the same as for last year, will be distributed by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trot- ' ting Club at its cup meeting at Addington on November 1 10. 13. 21 and 28. Stakes'for 1 most feature races have been i increased, although that for the New Zealand Cup is to 1 remain at £6750, plus a trophy valued at £lOO. 1 The club has loosened classes ’ for the fourth day of the meeting and stakes for that day are accordingly reduced. The change has resulted from lack of support on that day and the difficulty of , drawing on the same pool of

horses for races spread over the four days. In the past interest has decreased' sharply after the third day of the meeting. Even though horses of a high standard haVe been catered for, the fields have thinned out considerably and the standard of racing has not been as high as earlier at the meeting. Experimental Change This year's change is experimental and it is possible that in future the club will continue to include feature races (bi the best pacers and trotters on the fourth day of the cup meeting. The club is budgeting on an oncourse turnover during the four days of £495,000 to enable ft to break even This is £28.000 more than the turnover on the corresponding days 12 months ago. Stakes in races for trotters have been increased, while those for open handicap events for pacers have ' been practically unchanged. The Worthy Queen Handicap and the New Zealand Trotting Free-for-all will this year carry stakes of £lOOO, £lOO more than last year, while the i Dominion Handicap, the main event i on the -calendar for trotters, has had its stake increased by £250 to £2OOO. plus a trophy valued at £lOO. Slow-Class Races Stakes for races for slow-class ' trotters will this vear be £7OO. £lOO more than last vear. Over the years ! races for trotters nave taken a heavy share of stake reductions, but ' the increases for this year's meet- , ings should do much to offset this. The Ollivier Handicap and the [ Allan Matson Handicap, the main ■ distance races for pacers on the second and third days of the meeting. will both be run over 13 furlongs under invitation conditions. The limit will be 3min 34sec, with i horses on 3min 35sec invited to ■ nominate. The stake for both races • will be £2OOO. Last year the Olliv- • ier Handicap was run under similar . invitation conditions with a stake

of £l4OO. The Allan Matson Handicap was a 4min 27sec class two-mile race with a stake of £l2OO. N Z Free-for-all The New Zealand Free-for-all will be run on the second day of the meeting with a stake increased from £llOO to £1250. The stake for the New Zealand Derby Stakes, r un on the third day of the meeting, remains unchanged at £1250. There has been a reduction of £l6O. from £9OO to £BOO. in the stake for the New Zealand Metropolitan Challenge Stakes, a race fur thiee and four-year-olds run on the second day of the meeting. The Smithson Handicap will be the main race on the final day of the meeting. Run over 13 furlongs with a limit of 3min 37sec, it will carry a stake of £llOO. The limits for the other races have been loosened that day, and with many fresh horses racing at the meeting, the club hopes to increase public interest. The double each day will be run on the third and sixth races, and the first race each day will start at 12.2 p.m. The club intends running a parade for two-year-olds before, the first race of the final day of the meeting.