FROM STUD AND STABLE Relinquished Permits Likely To Benefit N.L Clubs

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31628, 14 March 1968, Page 4

FROM STUD AND STABLE Relinquished Permits Likely To Benefit N.L Clubs

North Island racing clubs will benefit at the expense of the south this season unless clubs in the Canterbury district can absorb another four days of racing before July 31.

The decision of the Oamaru Jockey Club to abandon the first day of its autumn meeting brings to six the number of permits relinquished by South Island clubs this season.

The two permits relinquished by the Westport Jockev Club have already been absorbed in Canterbury. The North Canterbury Racing Club will hold an extra meeting at Rangiora next month, and the Canterbury Jockey Club| will do likewise at Riccarton, in May. Soon the executive committee of the New Zealand Racing Conference will have to decide to which clubs they will reallocate the permits relinquished by the Greymouth (two), Oamaru, and Winton clubs. Two Requests

The Geraldine Racing Club has applied to the conference for one of the days relinquished by Greymouth. Yesterday a spokesman for the Hororata Racing Club, which now holds its meetings at Riccarton, told Mr A. R. Algie, secretary of ’he conference, that his club was interested in the other Greymouth permit.

Four additional days of racing—an average of one a month until the end of the season—should be adequate for Canterbury's needs. As the other two permits must be used before July 31, and clubs in the Southland. Dunedin, and Greymouth districts have already informed the conference that they are not interested in extra days, it seems almost certain they will be reallocated to North Island clubs. “No Other Date” According to the secretary of the Oamaru Jockey Club (Mr P. D. Griffin) Saturday’s abandonment would have been only a postponement if another suitable date had been available. He said the committee would have considered racing on Saturday, March 23, or Tuesday, March 26, if either date had been available.

The Saturday was ruled out because it would have meant a clash with Wairio, a club with an established date. Because of a ruling between the two conferences—racing and trotting—that only one meeting be held on any midweek day, Tuesday was no good either. That night there

is a trotting meeting at Hutt Park.

The second day of the Oamaru autumn meeting Is scheduled for Monday, March 25.

Second Year This is the second successive year that the Oamaru Jockey Chib has had to abandon one day of its autumn meeting because of the weather. Twelve months ago the first day had to be called off when track conditions deteriorated. On that occasion the meeting was not lost to the South Island—the first-day programme was transferred to the second day, and the second day was abandoned. But in its place a two-day winter meeting was held.

The same set of circumstances could not apply this year. Provision had already been made for a two-day winter meeting by dropping the club’s one-day meeting on January 2. Travel Costs As well as being unfortunate for the club, last Saturday’s abandonment caused inconvenience to some trainers and owner-trainers. R. P. Register, who was keen to have his horses well settled before race day, left for Oamaru last Thursday. Owner-trainers from the Canterbury area who made the round trip of 300 miles for nothing included J. F. Tutton (Agrippa) and R. B. Mills (Gingerbread), from Riccarton, and A. Burke (Magic Air), from Amberley. Whether these trainers will be compensated by the club for their loss on travelling expenses is still a matter to be decided. Last year the connections of General Gilbert, which was taken south especially for the Oamaru Autumn Cup on the abandoned second day, applied through the owners’ and breeders’ association to recover some of the $24 float expenses but received nothing. This year the club will

probably have to consider similar applications from the Canterbury trainers as well as from R. J. Cochrane, who brought his team from Gore to compete at Oamaru last Saturday. Even if the Oamaru club had applied to race on a week-day this week it would have been out of the ques-

tion, according to Mr Griffin. “Monday and Wednesday were ‘out’ because of a clash with Taranaki, and trying to race on Tuesday or yesterday would have been hopeless,” he said. “The track is still heavy after nine inches of rain between Friday and Monday nights.”