TROTTING Addington Night Trots Possible Soon

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29746, 13 February 1962, Page 4

TROTTING Addington Night Trots Possible Soon

Attendance and totalisator figures at the Canterbury Park Trotting Club’s autumn meeting at Addington on Saturday could well bring night trotting in Christchurch much closer. The figures at Addington have been widely discussed and compared with the returns for the three nights of the recent Forbury Park Trotting Club’s Festival Cup meeting. Many reasons have been advanced for the returns at Addington, but most persons concede that had the club raced at night support would have been much greater.

About 6500 attended Addington on Saturday, a little more than half of the smallest crowd of the three nights at the Forbury meeting. Some claim the attendance was a "sign of the times” and that attendances at most day meetings have declined recently. Others claim that attendances at Addington will be smaller than usual until the new public grandstand, replacing one destroyed by fire last November, is built. Seating for the public is most restricted and the temporary catering facilities have not proved nppular with the public, though they appear to be adequate. Although it is almost three months since the grandstand was burned down, there has been no announcement about a new building. It is believed plans are being prepared, but it appears there will be some delay before a start is made on a new building. It seems doubtful whether a contract will be let in time for any extra seating to be available before the end of this year, which could have a serious effect on the next New Zealand Cup meeting, in particular

Totalisator turnover oncourse on Saturday was £73.193. compared with £100,535 last year when the club raced on Easter Saturday. The club last raced in February in 1960, the turnover then amounting to £75,767 15s, £2574 15s greater than on Saturday. The standard of racing was satisfactory, but it failed to arouse the crowd. The lack of enthusiasm was in marked contrast to that of the three nights at Forbury wihere even mediocre performances were acclaimed. Late Start The Canterbury Park club started its programme at 1 p.m. on Saturday in an attempt to attract a greater

attendance. The move did not appear to be popular with a fairly large section of the crowd, which began to leave the course after the sixth race. The exodus after the seventh race also appeared to be larger than usual.

For most, the time between' races lagged. The eight races were run in four and a half hours, compared with three hours and 40 minutes at Forbury Park. Twilight meetings have proved popular in Southland The Invercargill Trotting Club has started meetings at 4 p.m., with the last race at 8 p.m. Some galloping clubs have started at 2.30 p.m. and finished at 7 p.m. Attendance and totalisator turnover have in most cases shown substantial increases. As a result the Invercargill Trotting Club, in particular, has been able to increase its stakes substantially.

Although many club officials in Christchurch have yet to be convinced, it is generally agreed that night trottine must come to Addington soon. Attendance figures, it is claimed, would more than doube if results at Auckland, Hamilton, Dunedin and. to a lesser degree Wellington are any guide The average investment a head at day meetings is considerably more than at night meetings. At Addington on Saturday the average was slightly more than £ll a head, and at Forbury Park on the final night the average was about £7 10s, a satisfactory figure considering the short time available between each race. On the other hand this drop in average turnover is offset by increased gates receipts The admission charge at most courses is 5s a head It has been estimated that £l6 must be invested on the totalisator for a club to receive ss.

When night trotting was first started in Auckland,

Wellington and Hamilton, it was felt that those clubs had to make! the change because of lack of support It was generally agreed that there was little need for such a change in the South Island, where most trotting clubs were reasonably successful

However, the tremendous success at Forbury Park has shown there is just as much demand in the South Island for night trotting. One of the main difficulties expected at Forbury Park was cold weather. Even this has not had a serious effect on attendances. which have almost doubled in unfavourable weather at night when compared with day meetings

Addington is even more favourably placed on that score and attendances of at least 12.000 to 15.000 could be expected at ordinary meetings, such as on Saturday No convincing arguments prove there is no demand for night trotting in Christchurch. Rather, the success of clubs which have changed to night meetings shows that if the clubs which use Addington are to prosper they must cater for the public and race at night. While there are many problems to be overcome, it appears that the introduction of night trotting could be allied with the bu'lding of the new public grandstand. Other clubs have changed from' day to night racing in about six months and there is no reason why the new grandstand and the lighting of the track could not be completed at least within 12 months.