Maiden Stakes Too Low

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31922, 25 February 1969, Page 4

Maiden Stakes Too Low

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. Dissatisfaction with the stakes provided for maiden pacers was expressed by the New Zealand Owners. Breeders and Trainers’ Association at a meeting in Wellington yesterday.

Speaking to a remit put forward by the Wellington representative (Mr L. Bur), members of the committee strongly criticised clubs which sacrificed stakes for maidens just to provide a big stake for feature races.

The Wellington remit was that the association give serious consideration to the deplorably low stakes offered for 2.20 class horses today and take the matter up with the New Zealand Trotting Conference.”

The Mid-Canterbury represen. tative, Mr D. J. Townley, said many clubs plead poverty when asked to increase stakes for maiden pacers but could provide $2OOO to $3OOO for feature races.

The Rotorua Trotting Club, which featured the $2500 Rotorua Cup and a $2OOO race for two-year-olds, while providing low stakes for 2.20 class horses, was used as an example of just such a case.

The remit was passed and will be forwarded to the conference. An Otago remit asking for the handicapping system to be revised and simplified was referred to district associations for suggestions on how this could be done. The committee is to ask the conference to give consideration for preference to clubs running nine race programmes when allocating new permits to be issued for the new season.