RACING North Canterbury Club To Race At Riccarton

Press, Volume C, Issue 29434, 9 February 1961, Page 5

RACING North Canterbury Club To Race At Riccarton

Subject to ministerial approval, the North Canterbury Racing Club will hold its autumn meeting at Riccarton this year. The Canterbury Jockey Club has approved of an application from North Canterbury to race at Riccarton on April 29. The North Canterbury club’s spring meeting was also held at Riccarton.. The North Canterbury club has lost its “home” base at Rangiora for a few months, but will resume in October on virtually a brand new track, one that should compare with the best in New Zealand.

Plans to reconstruct the track were made after the club's meeting in June last year. Complaints were then made about the track, especially the turn into the home straight, on which horses found it hard to keep their footing. After discussions with trainers, jockeys, and trotting drivers, it was decided to redesign the course and work started in the spring. Banked Track The new design called for compound curves, and a banked course with two straights. More than 5000 yards of good soil .have been used on the new course. All the railings were removed and have been substantially re-erected by working bees provided by the racing and trotting clubs. “The working bees have done a wonderful job.” said Mr E. D. R. Smith, president of the racing club, yesterday.

“Putting up the running rail has meant digging many post holes in the shingly ground; it has not been easy work,” Mr Smith said. Once the running rail is reerected and two chutes are grassed the reconstruction work will be finished, but the track is to be given every chance to consolidate. Risk With Weather Many months of work could have gone for naught if the club had decided to race on its home course in April, and the weather had been bad for the meeting. The course was sown down in grass in the spring and the club had luck with the weather, getting rains in November and January. The new course is slightly smaller than the old one. There is also a new inside training track, which will be suitable for gallopers and trotters alike. “We will be able to have

a grand opening on the course when we have our spring meeting there next October,” Mr Smith said yesterday. “By that time we should have the Wood stalls so we will have a day’s racing under completely different and improved conditions," he said.