TROTTING Metropolitan Club Stakes To Rise By $20,900

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32016, 17 June 1969, Page 5

TROTTING Metropolitan Club Stakes To Rise By $20,900

Increases in stakes amounting to $20,900 will apply to meetings of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club next season. Details of the increases were announced yesterday by the president of the club (Mr G. W. Blaxall).

The latest increases cotne on top of a rise of some $17,000 in stakes—by far the greatest by any trotting club—during the present season. “When I announced the last increases, 1 said that the whole position of stakes would be reviewed before the start of the 1969-70 season,” said Mr Blaxall. “In view of a good year and an anticipated increase in the club’s share of the T.A.B. distribution of profits, the committee has decided to put out a stakes schedule for the whole of next season.” The stake for the New Zealand Cup, which last year was increased to $20,000, will this year be $22,500. The winner will now receive $14,000, an increase of $lOOO. The other three place-getters will re-

ceive an additional $5OO each.] Second placing will be worth i $4500, thifd $2500 and fourth! $l5OO. The stake for the Handicap, an invitation race on the second day of the national meeting in August, has been increased by $750 to $3750. Increases of $5OO have been applied to the New Zealand Free-for-all, which will be worth $4500: the New Zealand Trotting Free-for-all, which! will be worth $3500; the Grey< hound Handicap, which will be worth $3500: and the New Zealand Welcome Stakes,! which will be worth $4OOO. J The Riccarton Stakes will in future be worth $l5OO, a 1 rise of $lOO, while the Derby! Stakes Consolation Race will: be worth $l5OO, a rise of $3OO. and there will be an increase of $l5O in the stake for the N.Z. Metropolitan Stakes,

which will carry a stake of £1750. The heats of the Easter Cup will be increased by $250 to $2750, and the Easter Cup Consolation Race will increase by a like amount to $3OOO. Increases have also been approved for ordinary handi-

cap races. The schedule for the various classes, with the

The schedule for ordinary handicap events for trotters has also been reviewed. Stakes for the various classes, with increases are:—

•The increase varies from $250 to $5OO in races for 2:13 class trotters. The stakes for all ordinary handicap races are far in advance of those paid by any

other club in New Zealand, and in many cases they are 25 to 30 per cent greater than those paid by other metropolitan clubs, which are going to be forced to make substantial increases in the next 12 months.

increases are: Class Stake Increase $ $ 2:20 .. 800 100 2:19 .. 1000 100 2:18 .. 1250 150 2:17 .. 1600 100 2:16 .. 1800 100 2:15 .. 2100 200 2:14 .. 2400 150 2:13 .. 2750 250 2:12 .. 3250 500 2:11 .. 3750 750

Class Stake Increase S S 2:20 .. 800 100 2:19 .. 1000 100 2:18 .. 1250 150 2:17 .. 1500 200 2:16 .. 1800 200 2:15 .. 2100 300 2:14 .. 2500 250 2:13 .. 3000 ♦ ■