TROTTING Formation of racing authority opposed

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32665, 22 July 1971, Page 8

TROTTING Formation of racing authority opposed

Concern about the proposed legislation the Government contemplates introducing to implement the findings of the Royal Commission of inquiry into racing, trotting and dog racing was expressed by the president of the Canterbury- Park Trotting Club (Mr S. C. Cordner) in his report to members at the annual meeting held yesterday.

‘‘The proposal to set up a national racing authority, whict( would in turn take over the control of the Totalizator Agency Board, is certainly not acceptable to the trotting and facing clubs of New Zealand,” he said.

"How absurd can this be?| The T.A.B. has been operating* most efficiently and success-; fully for about 20 years, and; indeed it has been the blueprint for off-course betting in other countries.” he con-'

tinued. “It is to be hoped that other | more desirable recommenda-, tions of the commission will be implemented. “The same day pay-out by [ the board is an innovation | which has just been an- ; nounced. It does not require i a great deal of imagination i to see the effect this is bound to have on the volume , of money invested off-course , with Canterbury Park and. other clubs racing at night.” , Mr Cordner was critical of , the remit sponsored by the 1 Westport Trotting Club at ; the annual meeting of the Trotting Conference. This • sought to make it mandatory for a maximum number of horses to be started in ail events. “Fortunately this remit ; was lost and the club’s j policy of restricting the size of fields at its meeting will now be continued. Admit-, tedly smaller fields restrict to! a certain extent the opportunities of owners to start, their horses, but your com-I mittee feels that the smaller] fields do give the bestperformed a much better op-1 portunity to go through the! classes as there is less like-1

■t > lihood of interference and one views a more truly-run race,” 5 said Mr Cordner. u n e Domestic matter rj “My club feels that a ...matter such as this is purely Jone for the club conducting ° the meeting, which is in a ? I better position to decide how ’’.its own meetings should be conducted.

e J "The inclusion of remits ” I such as this in conference business is, in my view, an (endeavour by the smaller clubs to take away the demoi cratic rights of committees y which desire to conduct their j meetings in a manner they i consider is in the best ini terests of not only their own club, but the sport of trotting generally.”

Only four of the five meetings run this season by the c)ub fell into the financial year, which made comparisons difficult. Mr Cordner expressed satisfaction with the profit of $903, against $4748 the previous year. The club will have six meetings in its next financial year, one having already been run. That was the meeting on June 19. a date exchanged with the Rangiora club so that a meeting could be held at Addington Raceway after the international Rugby match at Lancaster Park. Unfavourable weather during the season affected attendances, which were I down by 4500 over the 196970 season.

On-course turnover was a record for a four-permit season, giving an average of $214,798, more than $20,000 greater than in the previous season. The off-course average of more than $220,000 was also a record for the club.

Taking the June meeting into account, the $2,219,727 handled for the season was a record for the club, said Mr Cordner. i Stakes, too. reached record proportions of $79,900, an increase of S6BOO. The club's daily average was exceeded only by the Auckland and N.Z. Metropolitan clubs.

Answer to correspondent—“lnquiry,” New Brighton: The Maida Dillon—Red Emperor double at Addington Raceway on Friday, November 10. paid £7948 9s for £l. Maida DiUon paid £257 12s 6d for a win and £37 6s for a place when she was successful in the Hornby Handicap.