TROTTING Use Of Starting Gate To Be Continued

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30192, 25 July 1963, Page 4

TROTTING Use Of Starting Gate To Be Continued

The use of the starting gate would be continued in the coming season, said the president (Mr L. S. Smart) in his report to the annual meeting of the Canterbury Park Trotting Club yesterday. The club felt confident that it would provide a great spectacle as well as good starting under lights, he said.

Nineteen races had been started during the season behind the club’s starting gate and he was firmly of the opinion that this type of starting was an improvement on the usual method, said Mr Smart. Since its introduction, 24 races had been started from behind the gate at the club’s meetings. There had been only one false start and there had not been one accident attributable to the gate.

“It is of interest to note that the biggest betting pools at every meeting have been on mobile starts and this surely shows that the betting public have more confidence in this type of starting, realising that their horse is not likely to be interfered with by the unruly behaviour of other horses at the barrier,” he said.

The club again proposed to cater for two-year-old horses and also to include penaltyfree races in its programmes. The club had continued its policy of catering for trotters and except for the twilight meeting in February it had run three totalisator races for trotters each day, said Mr Smart. One of the highlights of the season had been the Trotters’ Flying Mile run on the second day of the New Year meeting. Mr W. J. Doyle’s When had trotted the mile in 2min 2 4-ssec. bettering the previous record held by Diantbus Girl by three-fifths of a second. When was now racing in the United States. The club would race on Tuesday, December 31, Thursday. January 2, Saturday, February 8, and Saturday, May 23, in the coming season. It was proposed that the first three dates would be night meetings and the winter meeting would be held in day-time, said Mr Smart. The committee had decided to run its first night meeting on New Year’s Eve, as it was felt that

evening would be preferable to the night of January 1. Also, certain difficulties would arise if consecutive nights were held. Increase Likely It was expected that stakes would be increased when night trotting started, said Mr Smart. Stakes for the last year had been slightly lower than in the 1961-62 season, due partly to a mid-week

date and a loosening of classes. The club had been fortunate to have fine weather for both days of its New Year meeting and also for its twilight meeting in February. The winter meeting had been held in cold, overcast weather and that had an adverse effect on attendance figures, which had dropped by slightly more than 3000. On-course turnover for the season had shown a decrease

exceeding £55.000 and offcourse turnover had been down by some £7OOO. The total decrease, both on and off-course, had been £62,724 10s. In view of the weather, change of dates and the lack of grandstand accommodation for the public, the drop in turnover had been expected, he said. The decision of the New Brighton club to centralise at Addington was a progressive move and one which would be of benefit to trotting. Owners and trainers and the public would benefit from the excellent facilities available at Addington, particularly when the new public grandstand was completed, probably about the end of October. Major alterations had been made in the lay-out of Addington, continued Mr Smart. Totalisator facilities were being increased. Totalisator selling windows would be increased by about 40 per cent., while pay-out facilities would be greater by at least 75 per cent. The large increase in totalisator facilities had become necessary because of the introduction of night trotting and the reduced time between races.

Improvements had also been made to the track. It had been regraded and drainage had been improved. The low running rail had been completed before the club’s New Year meeting.