TROTTING N.Z. Derby Stakes May Be Worth Up To $10,000

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32029, 2 July 1969, Page 5

TROTTING N.Z. Derby Stakes May Be Worth Up To $10,000

A new policy on the New Zealand Derby Stakes has been decided by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club.

Next year the classic would carry a basic stake of $5OOO and all nominations and payment fees, excluding those which had to be refunded because of elimination, would be added to the basic stake, the club’s president (Mr G. W. Blaxhall) told the annual meeting yesterday.

It was hoped that the total stake for the race would reach $lO,OOO, he said. Both on and off-course turnovers for the dub’s 10 meetings, five day and five night, during the year were high. The off-course turnover of 52,604,460 was the second highest on record. Included in this amount were two special doubles, one of the New Zealand Cup and the New Zealand Trotting Cup, and the other the Easter Cup and the Easter Handicap, run at Ellerslie. Mr Blaxhall said that the

■on and off-course total of ; $5,120,258 was the second : highest combined turnover ‘ recorded by the club. Attendance figures had. in- ■ creased during the year, ex- . ceeding 105,000. This figure did not include the October meeting which had not been i held the previous year. At both the cup and the Easter . meetings the increase was just under 7000. Mr Blaxhall said the committee was concerned about the smaM attendance of members at other than Cup and Show days and Easter Saturday. At other times the attendance was just about 50 i per cent of the membership, ilt was hoped that in the i New Year attendance would ■ be much greater.

Stakes during the year had been higher by $32,100 than the previous season. It was proposed to increase stakes by another $20,900 in the coming season, said Mr Blaxhall. The New Zealand Cup stake of $22,500 this year would be the largest stake giveh by a New Zealand dub for any light harness event, excluding the Inter-Dominion Final.

In tire season under review the club’s share of the distribution of the Totaiisator Agency Board profit had been $58,000. This was one of the lowest amount received for many years.

Two Records During the year two records were created at the club’s meetings. Sam Tryax won the Welcome Stakes in record time of 2:40 2-5 for a mile and a quarter. Friendly Forbes, in finishing fourth in the Second Riccarton Stakes, created a new place record of 3slo 1-5 for a mile and a half. Horses available for topclass races had been seriously depleted during the season because of the number which had gone overseas, said Mr Blaxhall. However, many good horses remained to fill the fields. A number of innovations had been instituted at Addington Raceway. The video race patrol had been in use and in the latter part of the season a second tower had been used. “I feel sure that the video race patrol has played a

major part in improving the standard of our racing,” said Mr Blaxhall. Night racing at Addington had taken on a “new look.” There is no doubt that the multivapour lamps which had cost about 540.000 had made Addington the best illuminated track in the Southern Hemisphere, he said.

The committee had given a great deal of consideration to the contentious problem of whether the T.A.B. double should be straight-out or concession. It was felt that the straight-out double should continue for there was no evidence to prove that either was the more popular. Championships “Preliminary planning is already under way for the 1971 Inter-Dominion Championships which will be conducted by the Metropolitan club at Addington," said Mr Blaxhall. “We confidently expect this will be one of the biggest series held In the history of the InterDomlon Championships." Mr Blaxhall thanked the president of the Canterbury Owners’ and Breeders’ Association (Mr E. T. Hubbard) and his committee for their assistance to the club and the Trotting Horsemen’s Association for its support. On behalf of the club he thanked Mr A. J. Nicoll, retiring president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, - for “the impartial manner in which he has administered the affairs of trotting during his term of office.” Good wishes of the club were extended to Mr Nlcoll’s successor, Mr B. J. Rolfe, of Thames. “Never in the history of New Zealand trotting have things been so good,” said Mr Blaxhall before moving the adoption of his report, “I omitted earlier in my report to mention the two-year-olds of the last season. “Horses such as Black Watch, Bonnie Frost, Glamour, Bravine, Rossini, Berkleigh, Frost Report. Walk Alone, Sam Tryax and many others will make next season a wonderful one to look forward to if they should produce the same form as three-year-olds?’