Geraldine Stakes To Remain The Same

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31774, 3 September 1968, Page 4

Geraldine Stakes To Remain The Same

Stakes far the Geraldine Racing Club's spring meeting on September 23 have been maintained at the same level as last year, In spite of a substantial loss last year. The loss on the May meeting which was one of the dates relinquished by the Grevmouth Jockey Club last season, was 12000 after taking into account an estimated dividend from the T.A.B.

Lack of support by some owners and trainers had been the main reason for the loss on the May meeting, according to the club. In a circular distributed with the spring programme there is a request for stronger support from owners and traini ers. : The Geraldine Cup stake will ■ again be $2OOO. This will include a trophy valued at $l4O. The open sprinters will be competing for a $l2OO stake in the President s Handicap. There will be three racet for hacks and three maiden events. The staying hacks will compete for a $6OO stake in the Woodbury High-weight. The sevenfurlong Belmont Hack Handicap carries the same stake and the orari Improver s Handicap, for hack sprinters, is worth $5OO. Maiden stayers will race for a $420 stake in the Rangitata \ ; Stakes and there will be two i sprint events for maidens worth I $4OO each. Stakes Cut After a loss of $22,500 on last year’s operations and accumulated losses of $Bl,OOO over the last seven years the Dunedin Jockey Club has reduced stakes by $1340 for its two-day spring meeting next month. The events for open-class suyers each day have been hardest hit. The Cargill Handicap, the principal flat race on the first day is worth $l6OO —ssoo less than the corresponding event last year. The stake for the Grandstand Handicap on the second day has been reduced by $430. This race is worth $l3OO as against $1730. The open sprinters in the Telegraph Handicap on the first dav will be competing for a $lOOO Stake—the same as last year—but the Beaumont Handicap on the second day is down from $llOO to $lOOO. The prize-money for the McLean Stakes, for two-year-olds, has also been reduced by $lOO.

This year the race will be worth $lOOO.

There have also been minor cuts in the stakes for four of the hack events on the programme. The Suburban and Kaikorai Handicaps on the first day and the Salisbury Handicap on the second day are each worth $5O less than last vear. The stake for the Milburn Improvers’ Handicap on the second day has been reduced by $6O.