TROTTING Strong Claims For Extra Permits

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31335, 4 April 1967, Page 4

TROTTING Strong Claims For Extra Permits

Trotting has a strong claim for the granting of five additional permits as a result of the deletion of trotting events from galloping programmes at the end of the current season. Trotting has lost 43 races since the last permits were granted in 1964.

So far racing clubs have dropped 12 races. Eight of these races were run by the Greymouth Jockey Club, and two each by the Tapanui and Wairio Jockey Clubs.

A further 20 races will be lost on the West Coast at the end of this season. The Westport Jockey Club has run eight trotting races each season, the Westland Racing Club six, the Reefton Jockey Club four and the Kumara Racing Club two. The Cromwell and Vincent Jockey Clubs will each delete four races next season, the Amberley Racing Club two, and the Waimate District Hunt one.

The greatest loss as far as trotting is concerned will be on the West Coast, where 28 races, the equivalent of three days and a half, will .have been deleted. All of the trotting races at West Coast galloping meetings were for maiden pacers, fields being drawn from Canterbury and the West Coast, with an occasional visitor from Nelson or Marlborough.

In more recent times the West Coast clubs have not had to depend so much on Canterbury pacers to fill their fields. There has been a marked increase in the number of horses trained on the West Coast. Owner-trainers have been strong supporters of the Coast clubs, and often they have gone on to race at trotting meetings held on the Coast. However, their horses have seldom been good enough to

bring to Canterbury and race with distinction against strong opposition.

Loss Likely

Trotting as a whole could suffer a loss in interest on the West Coast as a result of the deletion of these races. Owners and trainers interested in racing only on the West Coast will have so few opportunities that it will be uneconomic to continue training horses. If trotting is to receive compensation for the races lost by the granting of four or five additional permits, the distribution of these is unlikely to be of much benefit to the districts most affected.

At present few West Coast clubs are operating on a sound financial basis, and none of them could absorb additional permits with any prospect of success. The majority of Canterbury trotting clubs have sufficient permits to meet present day requirements. Few new permits could be used with success in Otago or Southland, but some North Island areas claim that they could run successful meetings and use new permits to extend the racing season. Whatever happens with any new permits likely to be granted, little help will be accorded the West Coast. Perhaps there is a case for review of the present system of racing as far as trotting clubs are concerned. In an effort to retain the interest of owners and trainers on the West Coast, it magbt be possible to run “country” meetings as is done in Australia. The Totalisator • Agency Board would not necessarily

operate fully at such meetings, but agencies in selected districts, such as Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough could operate. If such a scheme were allowed, many problems would have to be overcome. But they might not be as serious as they appear at first glance. In Australia no difficulty is experienced in running country and metropolitan meetings with different handicapping systems operating.