TROTTING Minimum Stakes Will Affect Many Clubs

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32349, 15 July 1970, Page 4

TROTTING Minimum Stakes Will Affect Many Clubs

Most clubs will be affected by the minimum stake schedule approved at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Trotting Conference last week, but many will have to make only an odd' minor increase to meet the requirements of the regulations, which will come into effect on August 1.

The three clubs racing at Addington Raceway, and the Ashburton club, will not have to make any increase on stakes paid during the current season to meet the requirements of the schedule; but some metropolitan clubs will have to make quite significant increases to bring stakes in some classes up to the minimum level.

Quite a few country clubs could be hard pressed to race fairly tight-class horses as a result of the schedule, the Kaikoura club, for instance, having to add $7OO to the stake for the Kaikoura Cup to bring it up to the minimum level of $3OOO for invitation races. The Kaikoura club would have to make further increases of from $5O to $lOO to another six races to meet the requirements, making the total $lOBO if the limits remain the same as for this season's meeting. The Rangiora club would have to increase stakes for five races at its winter meeting, but the total would be only $350. COAST RISES The Greymouth club, and others on the West Coast, will have to make increases in many races, and the total, while not particularly large,

could be embarrassing as far as Greymouth and Westport are concerned.

Clubs in the Waikato area will have to make substantial increases in almost all classes, while the clubs racing at Alexandra Park could also be affected fairly heavily. The Auckland club will have to make increases in the stakes for three or four races a programme if limits are retained at this season’s level. In many instances it will have to make increases of at least $2OO in the races concerned. It has been estimated that clubs in Southland will have to make increases of close to $7OOO if stakes are to be brought only to minimum levels. KUROW BELOW

The Kurow club has already announced the programme for its meeting on August 8. Only one of the nine races fails to meet the minimum requirements. That is the Waitaki Hanover Stakes, for three-year-old pacers. The minimum for a semi-classic race is $lOOO, but the Kurow club has allocated only $B5O. It is understood that club officials are considering bringing the stake to $lOOO, but they will not be forced to do so by the conference as the programme

was approved before the minimum schedule was considered. In restricted free-for-alls the minimum stake to be, paid will be the amount that is half-way between 'the two classes. In a

race restricted to 2min 16sec and 2min Ifisec class horses, the stake will be >1550. The conference has asked that all clubs running divisions should pay a full stake for each division, or pay a full winning stake to each division and reduced money tor other placings. MORI fiXPICTED It view of the minimum stake schedule it will be unlikely tor a programme to be passed where the stakes are below the proposed minimum- However, the majority of clubs pay more than the minimum stakes In most classes. ‘The conference has emphasised that the schedule is only a list of minimum stakes for classes, and most clubs were expected to pay larger stakes. The new schedule, with the average stakes for each class paid in the 1969-70 season, is;— FACERS

Class Average Stake 1 Minimum Stake 6 2:20 533 550 2:19 716 700 2; 18 ' 916 900 2; 17 1168 1100 X: 16 1525 2400 2:15 1846 1700 2:14 2088 2000 2:13 2747 2500 2:12 3333 3000 Free-for-all 3657 3000 Invitation 3353 3000 Classic 1709 1000 Semi-classic 1180 1000 Class fROTTIRS Average Minimum 2 ;20 Stake 1 Stake • $ 577 600 2:19 800 800 2:18 967 1000 2:17 .. 1190 1200 2:16 1583 1500 2:15 ’ 1967 1900 2:14 2107 2200 2:13 4222 2500 Free-for-all 2415 2200 Invitation 2392 2200 Restricted Age 1166 1000