TROTTING Conference Decision Did Not Help Forbury Club

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30042, 29 January 1963, Page 4

TROTTING Conference Decision Did Not Help Forbury Club

(From Our Own Reporter) DUNEDIN, January 28. The refusal of a request to change the order of the races so that the double could be on races other than the two qualifying heats of the Dunedin Festival Cup may have been responsible for much of the decrease of £19359 15s in the combined on and off-course turn-over on the first night of the Forbury Park Trotting Club’s meeting on Saturday.

According to club officials, application was made to change the order of the races when it had been found that there were only seven totalisator numbers in one of the qualifying heats and eight in the other. However, the New Zealand Trotting Conference declined the request

The club intended to run the double on Thursday, the second night of the meeting, on the two qualifying heats of the Festival Cup, but the order of the races was changed to enable the double to be run on the Mosgiel Handicap and the Royal Han. dicap.

The fact that Lordship so dominated the first leg of Saturday’s double no doubt influenced off-course bettors not to invest on the event. Likewise, on-course patrons would not accept the short odds on otter about the favourite. Doubles investments amounted to only £6224 58, compared with £8790 5s 12 months- ago. Had the double been run on two of the other races for pacers, there is little doubt that both on and off-course turn-overs

would have been much greeter.

The club has done everything possible to make its Festival Cup meeting an attraction and it is unfortunate that there are not more horses available to contest the main races. The club has stakes and a trophy amounting to £8250 attached to the Festival Cup and stakes for the other races are well up to standard.

As a result of being forced to keep its double on the two qualifying heats on Saturday any possible profit on the meeting could be turned into a loss. The decision to decline any change in the Order of the races appears unreasonable, especially when the club has been allowed to change the order of races on Thursday. Took No Harm

Lordship took no harm from the incident in which he almost fell at the straight entrance in the First Qualifying Heat of the Festival Cup on Saturday. He was jogged free-legged on the main track this morning and revelled in the. light task allotted him.

The Johnny Globe fouryear old will be a short priced favourite for his next qualifying heat on Thursday and his meeting with Falsehood and other smart pacers in the final on Saturday is certain to prove a great attraction.

The club is not certain yet how many horses will be allowed to start in the final, but it seems certain that Lordship, Falsehood, Light Mood, and Urrall, which filled the first two plaeinfs in Saturday’s heats will be in the field.

The club is expected to select the final field so that there will be at least eight totalisator numbers The club had 17 acceptors for the first two heats and officials said on Saturday that it was unlikely there would be more than eight or nine runners in the final, although they might have to start additional horses if there were many brackets. C. S. Donald, W. E. Lowe and G. B Noble are trainers with more than one horse in the heats and should two or more of their horses qualify the club will increase the number of starters in the final so that there will be eight totalisator numbers The remainder of the horses win contest the £l2OO Consolation Race which will also be run over two miles. Leg Injury Dandy Briar was withdrawn from the First Qu«lifying Heat of the Festival Cup and it is not certain that he will be able to contest the second series of beats on Thursday. Dandy Briar injured his off-hind teg some days ago but it was all right again before being brought south The 1962 Auckland Cup winner was worked on Saturday morning and seemed all right after. However, in the evening he was favouring the leg again and his trainer. C. S Donald, decided to run no risks with him.

Dandy Briar was jogged on the lead this morning and did not appear to be seriously troubled by his leg. Donald has lost the services meantime of King Hal, which injured himself slightly in his paddock recently The injury is responding well to treatment and Is unlikely to cause the Hal Tryax five-year-old to Ims much work. King Hal has been a little disappointing at times this season, although, on occasions. he has not received much luck tn the running of his races He has not wan a race this term, but has been placed in. seven of his M I start*.