TROTTING Auckland Programme Disappointing

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32059, 6 August 1969, Page 6

TROTTING Auckland Programme Disappointing

Stakes to be di meeting on Septembt national meeting, whi day week; nor do th to be run by the Ne\

istributed at the Auckland Trotting Club’s er 20 and 27 are well below those for the ich opens at Addington Raceway on Saturiey compare favourably with the meetings iv Brighton club on September 6 and 19.

Stakes at the Auckland meetings have been increased $2lOO to $29,100 for the two meetings, against $39,850 at the national meeting, and $30,200 at the two New Brighton meetings.

The disturbing feature of the Auckland programme is ( the poor stakes being offered , for intermediate classes in ■ the pacing section. As well ’ as being below those to be paid by the two Addington clubs, they are below the average paid for the respective classes during the 1968-69 season in the whole of New Zealand. This decline of the Auckland club is rather surprising 1 even though the club has shown a fairly heavy loss in the last year. The club has persisted in including races for three and four-year-olds on the first night of the meeting, stakes for each race being only $l2OO, against $l5OO at Addington. These stakes are unchanged from last year as far as the Auckland club is concerned. In fact very few classes have received an increase in stakes for next month’s meetings. Parlous State The Auckland area is in a parlous state as far as the supply of horses for the tighter classes are concerned. It seemed probable that the programme would have been

framed to promote as many horses as possible, but by retaining two races for three and four-year-olds with such poor stakes on the first night, the position is unlikely to be improved in the tighter classes. Stakes in the intermediate classes are so far below those at Addington that Canterbury trainers are unlikely to take many horses north. The stakes for the invitation races at Auckland have been increased $5OO over last year to $3OOO, which could tempt a few owners to make the costly trip to Auckland. Poor Efforts The framing of programmes by the Auckland club has for some time been the cause of great concern among conference officials, but they have not been prepared to do anything to help the situation. When clubs such as Auckland produce such ill-designed programmes, the conference should refuse to pass them. The executive was not so loath to take action when the Canterbury Park Club produced its winter programme last season and proposed to reduce to 12 the size of fields in some races. The executive quickly stepped in and refused to pass the programme —and as well questioned the standard of the stake for at least one race. The Auckland club will run three races on the two nights for 2min 18sec class pacers. The first night the stake will be $lOO9, and a week later there will be two races run

over the same distance with stakes of $llOO.

Horses on 2min 13sec, and there are few of them in the North Island, will not be able to start from the front in any race. Such horses race for stakes of $2750 at meetings of the Metropolitan club, but at Auckland they will have to start from behind the limit in races carrying stakes of $lBOO, the same as apply to 2min 16sec class races at Addington. The New Brighton club pays $lBOO in 2min 14sec class events. Taken all round the Auckland programme, which is more or less the same as the club has used for years, is one of the most disappointing produced for spring racing, and it is certainly not the effort of a metropolitan club.

Stakes to be paid by the three clubs at spring meetings, with the average stakes paid last season for the various classes, are shown in the following table:— PACERS

Aver. Met. Brigh. Auck. 68-69 Class $ $ $ $ 2:18 1250 1100 1000 857 2:16 1800 1650 1400 1459 2:15 2100 1800 1600 1734 2:14 2400 2000 1800 2025 2:13 2750 2500 - 2390 2:12 3250 2500 - 2750 Invitation 3750 3000 3000 3047. TROTTING 2:17 - 1300 1200 1096 2:16 1800 - - 1450 2:15 - 2000 - 1910 2:14 - - 2000 1950 Invitation 3000 2500 - 2170