Refusal To Alter Date Criticised

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31124, 29 July 1966, Page 5

Refusal To Alter Date Criticised

"The Press” Special Service DUNEDIN. The refusal of the committee of the Otago Hunt Club to act on a suggestion that the club alter its date from September 3, the date of the Otago-Southland football match at Carisbrook, to the following Monday has drawn sharp criticism.

The club appears to have passed over a golden opportunity to share in the rich profits offered through the T.A.B. on mid-week racing. In recent weeks, the Oamaru Jockey Club, the. Waimate Hunt Club and the South Canterbury Hunt Club have raced mid-week to avoid clashing with matches played by the Lions. Results of off-course betting have exceeded expectations.

At one time the club held one of the most popular meetlings in Otago and in 1948, its meeting, which coincided with the centennial of the province, had a stake for the Otago Hunt Cup of £lO5O plus a trophy. The stake for the feature flat race was £5OO. Stakes for these two feature races were maintained at £735 and £450 respectively

until early in the 1950 s when the financial status of the club declined and stakes were reduced.

The programme for September 3 offers £350 and a £lO trophy for the Otago Hunt Cup and £350 for the TallyHo Handicap, the main flat race. Mr A. M. Mcßeath, secretary of the Racing Conference, said yesterday that any application to change the date to the Monday would receive favourable consideration. Any such application would need to be made within the next fortnight. He said that because a club changed the date of its meeting to a mid-week day to avoid another important fixture in the district, it would not lose the right to apply for its normal Saturday date the next year.