TROTTING Remit Unlikely To Do Much Good

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31731, 15 July 1968, Page 6

TROTTING Remit Unlikely To Do Much Good

The new rule making it necessary for all clubs to include a race for pacers assessed at 2:20,2:19 or 2:18 in every programme is unlikely to achieve as much as many of the persons who attended the annual conference of the New Zealand Trotting Conference held in Christchurch on Tuesday might have considered.

Discussion on the remit, proposed by the Bay of Plenty dub, was fairly lengthy, but none of the speakers mentioned how many races would be provided under the remit, which originally sought to have every club include a race for maiden pacers in every programme. Subsequently, an amendment' proposed by Mr M. M. N. Corner (Auckland) to extend the limit to 2min 19sec and 2min 18sec was accepted. Had the remit been passed in its original form, there would have been close to 40 additional races for maiden pacers. As a result of the new rule only three clubs appear likely to be affected if they continue to run programmes similar to those of the current season. They are Auckland, Canterbury Park and New Zealand Metropolitan, and they will not be affected as far as all meetings arc concerned. All other clubs run races for 2min 20sec, 2 min 19sec or 2min 18sec horses in every programme. The Auckland club has 13 permits and next season only five meetings would be affected if the same programmes as for this term were run. The Canterbury Park club will have to run only two more races between 2min 20 sec and 2min 18sec to meet the requirements of the new rule, while the New Zealand Metropolitan club will have to run only four such races. The Auckland club does not have to run such a race on the night of the Auckland Cup, while the Metropolitan club is exennited on the day of the New Zealand Cup. LIMITED VALUE If the three clubs affected run the 11 races as required by the rules as totalisator events they will be of very limited value to trotting as a whole. And there are sufficient loopholes to allow the clubs to make little if any change to the programmes they have run this season. At present there are tremendous pools of horses in the three Classes the clubs are being asked to cater for. The 2min 17sec class is very weak and provided 2min 18sec class races are run something helpful will be achieved. The Metropolitan club has included 2min 18sec class races in its national programme to be run next month.

However, if the club has to include such races at subsequent meetings, it will mean that a race for fast-class pacers may have to be deleted, with a subsequent saving in stakes to the club and a loss to owners and trainers. Of course, the club could run a non-totalisator race or sponsor a race at a matinee meeting instead of affecting its normal programme; but it might not be prepared to do this. On the other hand the club could meet the requirements of the rule and work within the framework of other rules and regulations by changing the conditions for restricted age races. LOOPHOLES There is nothing to stop the club catering for the two-year-old pacers assessed at 2min 20 sec only at its Easter meeting where races for nonwinners in this age group are run. Likewise the Riccarton Stakes, could be for three-year-olds With special conditions governed by the assessments of the competitors, rather than the number of wins they have gained. Had the remit been passed in its original form, many clubs would have been affected. Forbury Park, for instance, would need to have sponsored seven races for maiden pacers, probably at the expense of faster classes. A bottleneck in a particular class, such as in the 2min 19 sec class as at present, is nothing new and with careful programme framing this has usually been overcome quite simply. But when clubs have foisted on them particular classes of racing much greater problems have usually arisen. in addition, the clubs affected. are the two biggest io the country, and Canterbury Park is also in the top category. The public expect these clubs to cater for the best horses, but this week’s remit lowers the class to be catered for. Until such time as additional permits are granted, it is unlikely that the position will be remedied. Certainly, the new rule will do little if anything to aid trotting as a whole.