PROTEST AT DATES GIVEN

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30803, 15 July 1965, Page 5

PROTEST AT DATES GIVEN

A protest against his club being allocated October 5 instead of October 19, as had been sought, was made by Mr J. K. Davidson of the New Zealand Metropolitan Club at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference in Christchurch yesterday.

Other protests were lodged on behalf of the Taranaki and Forbury Park clubs.

Mr Davidson said his club’s application to race on October 19 had apparently been turned down on the grounds that drivers would have difficulty getting to Greymouth for a meeting to be held there the following night.

“That seemed to be the only objection placed before the dates committee,” he said.

Mr Davidson said the Canterbury Park club was down to race at Addington Raceway on January 3, and the Greymouth dub would race the following night. No objection had been lodged against the Canterbury Park date.

The Canterbury Park dub was racing on an established date, said the president (Mr W. H. Roche). The Metropolitan dub was using a new permit and the committee’s policy was not to allow a new permit to interfere with established dates.

His club had been changed from a long-established Saturday date of November 27 to a mid-week date on November 17 and that had been accepted graciously, said Mr Davidson/ He could not see where there was any consistency.

Taranaki

Mr D. J. Little (Taranaki) protested against his club been allocated April 30 instead of April 23 as had been sought. Since his dub had given a permit to Stratford it had always raced after the Hawera Easter meeting, said

Mr little. The Wellington dub had said at a meeting of North Island dubs 12 months ago that it would not interfere with the Taranaki drcuit. However, for next season Wellington had been granted April 16 and 19, only four days after the finish of the Hawera meeting, said Mr Little.

The Wellington club had told the dates committee that it would be willing to race against Stratford or Taranaki, but not against Forbury Park, which was some 400 miles away, said Mr Little. Wellington had eight permits, while his dub had only one, continued Mr Little. This season his dub had had record entries, but totalisator receipts had been down by some £BOOO. “If we have another such meeting we will be in the same dass as Manawatu and Wanganui,” he added.

Mr A. H. Finnic (Forbury Park) protested against the Banks Peninsula dub being allowed to race against his dub on October 9. When Banks Peninsula had first been granted a permit, it had agreed to keep to slow classes. Next season that dub had announced that it intended to run a race of £lOOO for trotters. That could result in a drop in patronage by owners and trainers at the Forbury meeting and accordingly he protested strongly.

All three dates would be examined again by the executive, said Mr Roche.