HANDICAP CHANGES

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32035, 9 July 1969, Page 5

HANDICAP CHANGES

Mixed Reception For Proposals (N.Z. Press Association) ROTORUA. Suggested changes in handicapping methods came under scrutiny at the New Zealand Trotting Conference’s annual meeting in Rotorua yesterday. Proposals made by the Auckland and Wellington Trotting Clubs met with a mixed reception. The Auckland club recommended that the executive consider changing the rules so that no two-year-old horse should receive a penalty for winning a race until it had won two races, and thereafter a penalty for only every second win.

It was also proposed that there be no penalty fpr two-year-old horses recording placings. These matters were referred to the executive, whose handicapping committee will consider them. An Auckland and Wellington move to have provision made to reassess horses unplaced in their last 12 starts to a lower mark was not successful.

Mr D. I. Macdonald (Wellington). in asking that the committee consider such reassessment, said that no horse should be assessed below class 2:19. He said he would be happy if the committee came up with some other limit. “At present horses quite frequently reach a prohibitive mark and public interest in them is lost,’’ he said. Mr W. G. Dobbs (Bay of Plenty) said such a move would only result in the “clutterin? up” of slower-class racer where horses were trying tr prove their ability and improvt their classes. An executive member. Mr G €. Cruickshank (Invercargill) said the very essence of th S resent system was to promot orses to their best ability.