TROTTING Record Turnover At N.Z. Cup Meeting

Press, Volume C, Issue 29682, 28 November 1961, Page 4

TROTTING Record Turnover At N.Z. Cup Meeting

„ * TbbriHsetor investments for the four days of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s New Zealand Cup meeting at Addington exceeded £1 million for the first time. The combined on and off-course investments amounted to £1,030,734. a£. which £524,171 15s came from off-course sources. As welt as being a record turnover, the meeting marked the fifst occasion on which off-course turnover exceeded the oncourse total, which this year amounted to £506,562 ss.

last year when the club's cup meeting was run over qnly three days the total investments amounted to £877.7’9, of which £473.965 15s was invested on-course arid £403,753 5s came from off-course sources. The club’s last four-day cup meeting was run in 1959 when the combined total reached £879,5«5 ss. The oncourse total that year was £500,293 ss, while the offcourse figure was £379.292, well below the total of this year. A feature of this year’s meeting has been the sharp increase in off-course figures, which were up substantially on the corresponding figures for the last two years. The on-course total would no doubt have been greater but for the fire which destroyed the main public grandstand before the last race on the second day of the meeting. Betting on that race showed a drop on the figures for the previous year There was a noticeable decrease in attendances on the last two days of the meeting. Cold weather no doubt had its effect on the third day. but even on Saturday the on-course turnover was only £79.424. compared with £78.259 10s a week earlier. Much of the increase in off-course figures could be attributed to the bigger number of Auckland horses racing at the meeting. The Auckland horses had strong form credentials, particularly Cardigan Bay, which won at his only two starts at the meeting. It has long been accepted

that any club capable of drawing horses from outside its own district benefits from increased off-course betting If the Metropolitan club continues to do this, off-course figures should increase still further. Spread Out The greatest criticism of the meeting was the length of time taken to run four days of racing. The meeting opened on Tuesday, November 7. and finished on Saturday. November 25. For some Auckland trainers it has meant arranging for their horses to be away from home for more than a month. Other North Island trainers had considered racing horses at the meeting, but they had cancelled the trip when it was realised the length of time the horses would have to be in Christchurch. Interest in the meeting lagged sharply at the end of carnival week when there regained two days of trotting This decrease in interest in the meeting has been much more noticeable in the last few years and it seems unlikely it will be recaptured at future cup meetings. The Metropolitan club’s cup meeting should attract

the best horses in the various classes from throughout New Zealand. To do this the club should make the meeting as attractive as possible One means of achieving this would be to revert to three days of racing in carnival week, which would mean most visiting trainers would be away from home for less than half the tune than when the club races four days over a period similar to that of this year. The club has oceaslonally been forced to race three days in carnival week because of elections, and before World War II there was nearly always three days in the one week. The club would have no difficultly in placing ‘ the fourth day of the meeting at some other time during the season. Some country club or clubs would probably take the club's spare November dates, which would probably leave a suitable date perhaps in the late summer or early, autumn. A change back to three days of racing in carnival week would present its problems. but there is little'doubt owners and trainers and ttie large influx of visitors to Christchurch for carnival