Trotters’ Title At Forbury Park

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30471, 19 June 1964, Page 5

Trotters’ Title At Forbury Park

A championship series for trotters has been included in the programme for the 1965 Inter-Dominion Championship series at Forbury Park next February and March.

The final in the trotting section will carry a stake of £3OOO and a trophy valued at £lOO.

This was approved at a special meeting of the committee of the Forbury Park club earlier this week. The meeting was attended by the president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference (Mr W. H. Roche), the South Island vice-president (Mr W. E. Desmond), a member of the executive (Mr A. J. Nico'll), the handicapper (Mr R. C. Morton) and the conference secretary (Mr J. Rowley). Two qualifying heats for trotters will be run on each of the first three nights of the meeting. These and a consolation race for trotters will all carry a stake of £lOOO, bringing the total stakes for this section to £lO,lOO.

The distance for the first and third sets of heats will be 13 furlongs and. 108 yards. The second set of heats will be run over 11 furlongs, and the final over two miles. Stakes for the nine qualifying heats for pacers and the two consolation races will be £lOOO, while the stake for the final will be £lO,OOO and a trophy valued at £2OO. The distance of the first set of qualifying heats, the final and the consolation races will be 13 furlongs and 108 yards. The second set of heats will be run over two miles and the third set over 11 furlongs. The maximum handicaps for both pacers and trotters over 11 furlongs will be 36 yards, and over the longer distances, 48 yards. Qualifying points will be awarded to the placed horses in each heat as follows: First, five points; second, three points; third, two points; fourth, one point. In addition three points will be awarded tb the horse recording the fastest time in .each heat, provided it finishes in the first four. Final details of the other races to be run during the four nights have not been decided, but the club has announced that it will distribute a minimum of £40,000 in stakes during the meeting. This leaves about £9OOO for. the other 12 races.