TROTTING Invitation Events Not Fulfilling Purpose

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30530, 27 August 1964, Page 4

TROTTING Invitation Events Not Fulfilling Purpose

The National Handicap at Addington Raceway last Saturday and the framing of programmes, which include invitation races, at other spring meetings, suggest that, perhaps, invitation events are not fulfilling the main idea behind their introduction in the 1958-59 season.

Invitation racing was introduced in an effort to give fast-class pacers and trotters additional racing under handicap conditions which would not affect their ordinary handicap assessments. Horses outside the limits for the events could start and they would qualify for reassessment to their ordinary handicap marks as a result of wins or second placings.

At the start invitation races filled a much-wanted need — the best horses were receiving infrequent opportunities between one New Zealand Cup and the next and few clubs, outside those in Christchurch, were catering for them.

Before the introduction of invitation racing, there was a surfeit of free-for-all racing and these had fallen from favour. The stage had been reached where the top pacers had to start from fairly long marks in sprint races between the running of each New Zealand Cup. Invitation races proved a great success when in their first season eight of them were run in 1958-59. Only six were run the following season, but since then there has

been a huge increase in their numbers. Nine were run in 1960-61, while that season there were another 12 at the-Inter-Dominion meeting at Addington. There were 11 invitation races in 1961-62. while the number increased to 17 the following season. Last term there were 30 races for pacers. Invitation races all cater for the top horses in commission, but in addition they now have to cater for slowerclass horses, which might not be receiving ordinary handicap racing chances. At Addington, for instance, the club could well have included a sprint race for cup class horses—either under invitation or ordinary handicap conditions—in addition to the Louisson Handicap. Instead some cup-class ‘horses started in the Louis-

son Handicap and ran the risk of a penalty to their cup marks in the event of a win.

In some other years when the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club has included either an open sprint or a free-for-all only small numbers have started, but usually there has been an outstanding attraction, such as Cardigan Bay. That on its own has more than compensated for the small number of starters. Races To Come As well as the National Handicap, six other invitation races are included in programmes for meetings to be run before October 17. One of these races will be run at Wellington next week, one at the New Brighton meeting on September 19, one at Ashburton, two at Auckland and one at Forbury Park. Unfortunately most of those clubs do not include races catering for horses assessed at 2:12 and faster; wins in which could graduate horses to New Zealand Cup class.

Since invitation races were first run only 11 horses have graduated to New Zealand Cup class with wins under these conditons. Last season when 30 invitation events were run Doctor Dan, Robin Dundee, Valcador and Gay Reel took the final step to cup class under these conditions. The previous season Master Alan, Falsehood and Lordship graduated to cup class under invitation conditions, and the season before Blue Prince, Vanity Scott and Diamond Hanover were successful. Before that only Canyon had graduated to cup class with a win under invitation conditions.

Clubs could probably assist the position by altering the conditions of their invitation races. All of the invitation races planned so far for this season invite 2min 12sec horses to nominate, the limit for the races actually being 2min llsec. Most of those clubs would have been better advised to have made their limits 2min lOsec, with 2min llsec horses invited to nominate. In addition they should have included races which catered for horses back to 2min 12sec, and possibly 2min Usee.

It is not suggested that any clubs should not try and cater for the best possible pacers available, but every opportunity should be given to pacers to qualify for the New Zealand Clip. Horses assessed at 2min 13sec and faster still receive a limited number of, opportunities to graduate to cup class in ordinary handicap events, but their chances in these races—usually with a 2min 13sec front—are becoming reduced by the extension of the invitation limits to include 2min 12sec horses. •

Eliminated Horses eligible for the cup —Cairnbrae, Dandy Briar, King Hal, Smokeaway, Urrall and Valcador—were eliminated from the National Handicap last week so that horses on the verge of New Zealand Cup class with no other opportunities at the meeting could start. That seemed to be right away from the principles of invitation racing, the problem being accentuated by the mild winter in Canterbury enabling so many horses to be forward at such an early stage of the season. Of course horses such as Lordship and Vanderford are unlikely to line up in all the invitation races to be decided before the running of the New Zealand Cup on November 10, but if present trends continue, few horses will bridge the gap to cup class before that date. Could Fail Invitation racing for trotters could also well fall down during the current season. Ordinary handicap events for the trotters are few and far between. Last season there were 12 invitation races for trotters, conipared wih eight for each of the previous two seasons, six in 1960-61, none in 1959-60, and only one in 1958-59.

There is still plenty of room for ordinary handicap racing for trotters, and it should be possible to strike a balance between the two types of racing. But if clubs are to be allowed to concentrate on invitation events only, there ■will have to be a switch to open handicap events. Then will follow a spate of such events before there is a reversion to some type of discretionary handicap events. The trend at the moment seems to be headed towards the position which arose some 12 years ago when a similar scheme was in vogue. When open class dr invitation events fell from favour, opportunities for the top trotters were greatly reduced in numbers. These horses have proved a tremendous attraction whenever they have been produced, and it would be tragic if a lack of thought in the framing of programmes is going to reduce their chances.