Qualifying Trials For Gallopers?

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31153, 1 September 1966, Page 4

Qualifying Trials For Gallopers?

“The Press” Special Service PALMERSTON NORTH. The time may not be very far away when some form of qualification will be necessary before gallopers can race for the first time at totalisator meetings. This is the view shared by many sections of the racing community.

Nowadays the number of maiden horses racing is becoming an embarrassment, especially in Auckland and Waikato. Fields are so big that in nine cases out of 10, either a ballot is necessary or the event is split into divisions. We have the same in the Manawatu district. Even if it Is not quite so severe, it is bad enough to have owners and trainers complaining about the money it costs to get the average horse out of maidens and into hack company. The matter is being discussed regularly by all the interested parties, but nobody seems to get anything done about it. The only positive step is one taken by the Waikato district committee and it is really only toying with the problem. Mid-week trials are run there and horses which show winning or placed form in them are assured of avoiding ballots or eliminations. This is not enough.

The problem is allied with others in the industry and, it is believed it is being discussed by the Racing Conference and will be pursued further by the Conference next month. MID WEEK TRIALS All the various branches of the Racing Owners’ and Trainers’ Associations are seeking smaller fields. Racing clubs want races which will attract more betting. Jockeys and trainers want more racing, especially for fledgling horses and horsemen. The conference wants a degree of centralisation. The answer to all these needs is regular mid-week trials, either with or without stakes. Whether such trials should be run weekly, fortnightly or monthly would, of course, depend on the acuteness of the demand in each particular area. But many feel that every horse of three or more years of age should have to qualify for totalisator racing

—at least at metropolitan or provincial meetings. Several trainers who have campaigned horses in Australia say that something akin to the “bush meetings” they hold there would work well in New Zealand. They envisage races being run midweek at smaller centres for stakes of about £5O each. The totalisators could open and thus serve to a degree the needs of that particular community. They could be run over a variety of distances. Slight alterations to such things as hack stake limits could be made with little fuss. They do this at the trots and it works like a charm. In this case, qualifying is done by times. Galloping would need to be different, but the principle is the main thing. FIELDS TOO BIG Conference officials admit that many galloping fields are too large. And clubs are starting to realise that it is not always the biggest fields that attract the heaviest betting. Maiden races are notoriously bad risks for clubs seeking to boost or maintain turn-overs. This is one strong case in favour of qualification. Surely the effect would be for fields to ease in size and betting to increase as

the public grew to realise that all runners in these races had shown at least some sign of ability. We all know that there are some maidens racing at ripe old ages. Their owners have paid hundreds of pounds to justify their belief that these horses can gallop when in fact they are hopeless propositions. People bet on these horses —and lose regularly. Any owner would welcome the chance to find out quickly and cheaply whether any horse was worth all that perseverance.

Postponed (N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) SYDNEY. Heavy overnight rain yesterday caused the A. J. C. to postpone its mid-week meeting at Randwick. The secretary of the A.J.C. (Mr D. Glasgow) making the announcement, said there had been 117 points on the course up to 6.30 a.m. yesterday.