BIGGER STAKES FOR RACE MEETING

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30270, 24 October 1963, Page 22

BIGGER STAKES FOR RACE MEETING

Continuing its progressive policy of recent years the North Canterbury Racing Club has taken further steps to make its meeting more attractive with owners and trainers and the general public. In recent years the club has remodelled its course and extended its Labour Week-end meeting to two days.

Innovations for this year's meeting tomorrow and Monday are the increasing of stakes and the lengthening of the main race from a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half. This feature event, the North Canterbury Gold Cup handicap, will be held tomorrow instead of the Monday as in former years.

Total stakes have been increased by £350, with the Gold Cup handicap carrying £llOO of this. First prize money in the main race will be £750, including a £lOO gold cup. Prize money for the other placings will be £2OO for second, £lOO for third, and £5O for fourth. The main race on the Monday will be the Rangiora handicap, which wdl carry stakes of £750, including a trophy to the value of £25. There

! are 26 nominations for this > event. The biggest nomination ; is for the Loburn maiden ; handicap with more than 40. • Although the degree of I support varies with the inl dividual events the overall • nomination of 384 was pari ticulariy gratifying to the t club and exceeds last years > record figures. Of the 176 nominations for Friday, 112 have accepted.

Change Justified Better support from owners and trainers has justified the club’s switch to a two day meeting three years ago. Previously the club had Labour Day as a fixed date with its other racing day being at varying times of the year, with some of the aUocated dates being at seasons when unfavourable weather was more likely.

Although the club sustained a loss in the first year of the two day meetings, its hopes for improved support were justified last year when the racing accounts showed a much better position as the result of a higher turnover on both the on-course and off-course betting figures.

The lengthening of the main race of the meeting to a mile and a half was made possible by improvements which the club continues to make to its course. Previously it was not possible to run a mile and a half event as the start would have been almost pn a bend. A new starting chute at the north-west corner of the track will give the field a good straight run to settle down, before the field hits the turn. The longer distance was introduced as a greater attraction for the genuine stayer and a further encouragement should be the increasing of the stakes. Top Three Year Olds Although a mile and a quarter for three year olds has attracted only eight starters, they are the top three year olds from Canterbury stables, according to club officials, who consider the field a good even one which should provide patrons with an excellent contest.

A new feature on the Monday programme will be the running of a trial for two year olds. A non-totalisator event this is intended to give owners and trainers the opportunity of running promising young horses under race conditions as a prelude to more serious racing. Nine starters are listed for this field.

The course is in excellent order for outstanding racing, with a good sole of grass having been maintained by constant watering during the last 10 days. A gift of several oriental plane trees should enchance the attractiveness of the course in the next few years. Given by Mr C. S. Thomas, a patron of the club and Mrs Thomas, the trees have been planted between the steward’s stand and the tearooms, where they will provide pleasant shade on an area of lawn.

The club is proud of its on course parking space which enables patrons to drive “virtually to the door steps of the building.”