North Canterbury Club Shows £1629 Loss

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31169, 20 September 1966, Page 7

North Canterbury Club Shows £1629 Loss

RANGIORA. It was a relief that it was not a meeting of shareholders he was addressing, said the secretary (Mr P. J. Byrne) describing a loss of more than £1629 to the annual meeting of the North Canterbury Racing Club at Rangiora. The accounts were not so bad as they seemed, however, as an amount of possibly £5OOO was to come from the T.A.B. Gate money of £825 for three meetings, compared with £BB4 for two meetings of the previous year, showed that other attractions in Rangiora were having an affect, said Mr Byrne. - Although the club had been doing all it could to encourage owners and trainers and the public, the position wa„ not improving as the club was running at a loss, said the president (Mr L. H. Power). Stakes had been kept up, and it was not the wish of the stewards to reduce them, but it looked as if stakes might have to come down or some relief be obtained through taxation. The stewards would be reluctant to reduce stakes, however, as owners were racing for stakes that applied 30 years ago, while costs had increased. Efforts would have to be made to get more people on course on race days, said Mr Power, who added that the course and amenities were second to none for a country meeting. Speaking against reducing stakes, Mr E. W. Wild suggested that if there was £5OOO still to come then it seemed that the club had really made a healthy profit and not a loss.

Mention of the £5OOO gave a false impression of extra profit, said Mr G. I. Morris. The accounts included the Totalisator Agency Board payment for two race days from the previous year, whereas the £5OOO was for three days’ racing. To get a more accu-

rate impression of the finances, only the payment for the additional day should be taken into consideration. Officers elected were:— patrons, Messrs G. H. Grigg, H. L. Pickering; president, Mr L. H. Power; immediate past president, Mr J. A. G. Fulton; vice-presidents, Messrs N. K. Aitken, C. A. Macdonald, E. D. R. Smith; treasurer, Mr J. W. Brosnan; stewards, Messrs R. E. Adair, A. P. Boyle, W. A. Diedrichs, G. H. Loffhagen, A. I. Macdonald, N. G. Mason, A. Mclntosh, W. J. M. Shand, L. J. Stokes, R. L. Thompson, C. C. Wells, W. R. Young.

Plans For Chantal

(N.Z. Press Association) SYDNEY. The Epsom Handicap favourite, Chantal, is unlikely to start again before the 19,000 dollars race on Saturday week. The New Zealand mare is engaged in the Hill Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday, but is almost certain to miss the race. Her trainer, Hayes, said that Chantal did not need much racing to bring her to her peak. “I consider she has had enough to fit her for the big race,” he said. “I could change my mind later in the week, but at this stage Chantal can be considered a very doubtful runner on Saturday." Chantal has started only twice since coming from New Zealand and won convincingly on both occasions. The mare finished brilliantly to win the Bank Holiday Handicap at Randwick and at her next start, carrying a stone more than her Epsom Handicap weight, she won the Glenbrook Handicap on the same track.

Irish St Leger To White Gloves (N.Z.P. A.-Reuter) THE CURRAGH, KILDARE (Ireland). The American-owned White Gloves won the Irish St. Leger at The Curragh on Saturday. Owned by Mrs M. A. Moore, and ridden by L. Ward, White Gloves (4 to 1) had a length to spare over P. Prendergast’s Khalekan <7 to 2 favourite), with Wrekin Rambler, the sole English challenger, a neck farther away third. White Gloves is a chestnut colt by High Hat out of the American-bred mare, Gallamoud.