Auckland club has successful year

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32629, 10 June 1971, Page 8

Auckland club has successful year

"The Press” Special Service AUCKLAND. It Is fitting that Mr R. Lewis's last year as prasldent of the Auckland Trotting Club has been accompanied by a record season at Alexandra Park. Betting on A.T.C. meetings topped s7m for the first time. Few men in the history of the club can have matched Mr Lewis’ service. For over 20 of his 40 years of membership he has held some official position. Mr Lewis was elected a steward in 1949. Two years later he became a member of the committee. After being a committeeman for eight year he was elected vice-president in 1959 and assumed the presidency in 1967 after the death of Mr P. R. Bridgens. The Inter-Dominion Championships in 1968 were the most successful held in New Zealand to that time, largely because of Mr Lewis’s preparatory work and bis untiring efforts during the series. Certainly, the Australian representation would not have been as strong if he had not gone to Australia and campaigned vigorously to secure top-class pacers and trotters.

STAKES RECORD Stakes given by the club this season amounted to $274,480. easily a record. The previous highest total was $240,050 in the 1967-68 season, during which the Inter-Dominion Championships were held.

Last season, the club gave $234,700, a daily average of $18,050. The average this season was $21,115. Attendances during the season totalled 155,493. an average of 11,961. These figures were only slightly ahead of those for the 196870 season (151,632 and 11,664) but the club considers them good In view of wet weather on several nights. There were big Increases to on and off-course betting. The oncourse total was up by $331,096 to $3,602,014, and the off-course total by to $3,641,913. None of the decisions made by the club’s committee during the season made a bigger impact than that to continue running a jackpot.

At one stage, the committee decided to discontinue the jackpot but it reversed ite decision only a day or two before the next meeting was due to be held, on March 13. The result was bumper attendances on March 20. 15,044, and May 22, 17,288, accompanied by correspondingly large increases in betting and gate takings. It seems certain the club will continue to run jackpots terminating at various intervals.