Stakes increase gets praise

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32633, 15 June 1971, Page 8

Stakes increase gets praise

(From Our Own Reporter) NELSON. The lead given by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club in announcing recently substantial increases in stakes for the 1971-72 season was praised at Nelson by owners, breeders and horsemen. “The club deserves congratulations for the range of the increases,” said Mr S. C. Graham, the president of the Canterbury Trotting Owners’ and Breeders’ Association. “They have not sorted out one or two feature races, as some clubs tend to do, and forgotten about the slow-class horses. “It is to be hoped that other clubs will follow the lead set by the Metropolitan club as ever-rising costs, especially transport, are making it more difficult for owners,” he added. “The increases announced for Addington should prove to be an incentive to other clubs,” said Mr D. G. Jones, the president of the New Zealand Horsemen’s Association. ‘lt is appropriate that the leading club should show the way. As no clubs have announced programmes for the new season it is to be hoped that they make a close study of the stakes to be provided at Addington and try to match them. “Trotting is booming and clubs should be prepared to grant increases in line with those to be made at Addington. It is my ambition to see a stake of $lOOO attached, to races for maiden

horses and if clubs really make the effort it might not be long before that is realised,” said Mr Jones.

STEVEN GRATTAN SOLD Steven Grattan, a fair eighth in the First Tinwald Handicap on the first day of the Ashburton meeting, has been bought by the Central Standardised Agency, Wellington, and he will probably do his future racing in the United States. A six-year-old gelding by Major Peterson from Elizabeth Hanover, he was a winner at the Winton meeting in April, 1970, when trained by his part-owner, W. R. McDonald, of Wyndham, The Nelson Trotting Club did much to save its track from wear on Saturday when horses did their preliminaries in the centre of the course. They went to the starting point just before being brought into line and this saved much of the boggy ground which developed when horses spent many minutes walking round before the start on the second day of the Ashburton meeting.

Newport Tryax, a promising two-year-old by Newport Chief from Brigitte Bardot, will next season race from F. E. Newfield’s team at Templeton. Newport Tryax finished second to Star Land at Rangiora in December and to Armbro Free at Forbury Park in January, but he was unplaced in five other starts, the most recent being in the New Zealand Sapling Stakes at Ashburton earlier in the month when he finished fourteenth.