TROTTING Interpretation Of Conditions In Programmes Unsatisfactory

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32219, 11 February 1970, Page 6

TROTTING Interpretation Of Conditions In Programmes Unsatisfactory

The departure from what are accepted as! conditions in race programmes continues to cause tremendous problems at trotting meetings. Numerous “incidents” have resulted from the inclusion of “local” conditions in programmes, not the least being the Pioneer Stakes at the Canterbury Park club’s meeting on Saturday. Clubs have inserted clauses in their programmes with the intention of improving the lot of owners, trainers and the public. i Unfortunately, the pro-i grammes have been approved'

by the New Zealand Trotting Conference. Then, usually ■ within a few days of withdrawals, or even later than that, some person interprets the conditions in a manner not intended by the club or the conference. Usually the conference has to call for a legal opinion on the conditions, and, while they are not necessarily in line with general opinion, they have to be accepted, often to the disadvantage of clubs, owners, trainers and the public. The Canterbury Park club intended that horses with not more than one win to their credit at time of starting should compete in the Pioneer Stakes: but maiden pacers cannot start in a race for which the mobile barrier will | be used. Rather, that was the 'intention of the regulations

11 governing mobile starting as 'amended last September 6. i Regulation No. 19 says: i“The mobile barrier shall not 11 be used for maiden pacers’ jevents.” Standing Start ! The Canterbury Park club [contended that the Pioneer [Stakes was a race for three-year-olds and not for maiden , pacers in the strict interpretation of the regulation, as no limit of 2:20 applied. The conference ruled otherwise and the race will be started from a stand. [ Apparently the club re[ceived this advice last week, ; but nothing was made public until after withdrawals on Monday afternoon. The necessity for the secrecy on the conference decision is difficult to follow; and the delayed announcement was followed by the question of why the handicapper had not declared “maiden” horses ineligible in the handicaps published on Monday morning. It Is well known that under the Rules of Trotting a maiden horse is one which has not won a race at a totalisator meeting tn Aqstralia or New Zealand. The wording of the regulation on the starting of maiden pacers from behind the mobile barrier leaves plenty of room for varying interpreta tions. The Forbury Park Club has frequently fallen into difficulties when it has framed special conditions for its programmes, the [eligibility of horses in the free-for-all won by Chequer Board at the club's meeting last April being but one example. The club caused confusion when the question arose of the eligibility of Our Smokey to start in the second heat of the Dunedin Festival Cup last Wed nesday night. Varying op inions

iI were obtained, but the confer once ruled that the club accept the legal opinion it had obtained and ordered that Our Smokey be withdrawn. Cost To Owner The special conditions governing the Dunedin Festival Cup did nothing but cause confusion and the blame for the situation can be laid fairly with the conference, which approved the programme. This is little consolation to J. R. Carter, the owner-trainer of Our Smokey, which was taken south in the belief the horse was eligible to start. The conference is now evading the issue completely and blaming the club. Perhaps Carter has a justiciable claim against the confer ence for the expenses involved In his trip south. He should .have some redress as the con ference took more than two days after withdrawals to make up its mind that the horse was ineligible, by which time Carter had travelled from Christchurch to Dunedin In the belief that his horse was correctly hand! capped. A mistake in the handicaps for the main race for trotters on the same programme was discovered, before the time for withdrawal? for the second night of the meeting, but again the conference did not advise the owners and trainers con cerned. The conference has placed great emphasis on public relations in the last few years, but it has failed to make the grade on most occasions when the interpretation of conditions governing programmes has been concerned.

Race Changed The Auckland Trotting Club, some days after withdrawals, changed a race from a stand ing start to a mobile start, at its cup meeting in December Some newspapers mentioned the change, but it was not pointed out to patrons bv the Totalisa tor Agency Board. The club has a condition in its programme saying that if fields are suitable, the mobile barrier will be used. This, most persons assume, applies until the time of withdrawals, and this had been the case until the meeting last Decern ber, A loose interpretation of this condition allows the club the right to change from a standing start to a mobile start at anv time, but this was never' intended when the condition was originally approved. Control Needed The implications of special conditions included in programmes have reached the stage where the conference must step in and take control. The same problem arose at Inter-domin-ion Championship meetings in the past, but this has been avoided by the series now being run under conditions which provide for almost all eventualities. . The happenings in recent months leave much to be de-1 sired and if the conference is! to continue its control of programmes. "local” conditions; y»|t have to be deleted.