TROTTING Worth-While Increase In Stakes At Nelson

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31993, 21 May 1969, Page 6

TROTTING Worth-While Increase In Stakes At Nelson

The Nelson Trotting Club has stepped out. by providing record stakes for its winter meeting, which will be run at Richmond Park on June 7 and 10.

Without considering extra stakes for any divisions, the total to be distributed this year will be $13,380, compared with $11,730 last year when four races were divided.

The stakes to be paid for maiden pacers and trotters are such that horses of better class than usual are certain to make the trip. This year races for maiden

pacers will carry stakes of $6OO, against $5OO last year. The Ashburton Trotting Club pays a similar stake for maiden pacers, but it goes further than Nelson by paying a full stake for each division.

The stake for the two races for maiden pacers at Washdyke on Saturday was only SSOO, and at Rangiora on June 14 the same amount will be paid. The Nelson club will pay $625 in stakes for each race for maiden trotters, com-

pared with $6OO at Ashburton, $5OO at Washdyke and a mere $450 at Rangiora. A stake of $750, including a trophy, will be paid for 2min 19sec class pacers at Nelson, a sharp rise on the $550 paid 12 months ago. A stake of $650 was given for two 2min 19sec class races at Washdyke, while at Ashburton the stake will be $BOO, and at Rangiora it will be only $550. The stake for 2min 18sec class races at Nelson will be $9OO, against $B5O at Washdyke, $lOOO at Ashburton and $750 at Rangiora. Horses assessed at 2min 17 sec will race for $ll5O, including a trophy, at Nelson, compared with $lO5O at Washdyke, $l3OO at Ashburton, and $lOOO at Rangiora. This year the main race for pacers at Nelson will have a limit of 2min 16sec and a stake of $l4BO, including a trophy. There was no race for 2min 16sec class horses at Washdyke, but at Ashburton they will race for $l6OO and at Rangiora $1450, including a trophy. The Nelson club last year ran a nine-race programme on the first day of the meeting, but this year there will be eight-race programmes each day. Apart from maiden pacers and trotters, the other classes catered for will have only one race each day, but provision has been made to divide the race for 2min 19sec class pacers. However, the programme does not say that full stakes will be given for each division. Turnover The Nelson club has obviously gambled on extra receipts from its “take” from

doubles betting when it framed Its programme. Its stakes for slow-class races are well above the average paid by most country clubs, and in particular by clubs which have much higher totalisator turnovers.

On-course totalisator turnover at the Nelson winter meeting has for the last three years averaged $57,599, while off-course the average has been $97,689. The Ashburton club, which pays probably the highest stakes for most classes of any country club, has had an average on-course turnover of $117,203, while off-course the average has been $106,859. The Rangiora Trotting Club has averaged $94,144 in oncourse turnover at its last three winter meetings, while off-course the average has been $115,012. The Timaru club has averaged $82,075 on-course and $112,683 off-course at its winter meetings between 1966 and 1968. On Saturday the on-course total was $86,970, while off-course investments amounted to $123,582.50. Stakes at Nelson next! month will average $6690 a! day, a big difference from the average of $12,510 paid at Ashburton where faster classes are catered for. The total stakes at Washdyke on Saturday were a mere $7250, while at Rangiora on June 14 the total will be a meagre $6450. If the Nelson club can make such spectacular increases in stakes for its winter meeting, owners and trainers can expect worthwhile increases to be made for slow-class races by the Ashburton, Rangiora and Timaru clubs at future winter meetings.