Picking a $200,000 winner

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 1

Picking a $200,000 winner

“Elsie,” in Dunedin, and the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Highet), in Christchurch, will pick the prize-winners of the $400,000 sweepstake to be run on the New Zealand Cup at the Canterbury Jockey Club’s meeting at Riccarton on Saturday.

It will be the first time that a sweepstake with such a large prize has been held in New Zealand and the first time a random selection computer has been used.

“Elsie” is the computer normally used to draw the winners of the Post Office bonus bonds.

On Saturday morning Mr Highet will be in Dunedin

and will see the computer select up to 20 of the 150,000 numbers in the sweepstake. There are at present 20 runners in the cup, but scratchings up to 7.30 a.m. on Saturday will be allowed for and the computer will pick only the number of starters.

Mr Highet will then travel to Christchurch, bringing the computer’s selections with him.

After the horses have left the birdcage to go round to the start of the two-mile race the Minister will draw from a barrel the number of each horse which will be matched against the ticket number next on the list Ticket holders who draw a horse will know that they have won Sl5OO if they listen to the radio, which will announce the names of nom-de-plumes after the computer selection; but they will have to wait until a few minutes

before the race to hear the nanjes of their horses.

Three minutes and 23sec later, give or take a second or two, someone will be $200,000 better off, and those who have drawn the second, third and fourth horses will have $50,000, $20,000 and $5OOO respectively. That is so long as the siren does not sound to signal a protest and continue the suspense. However, the New Zealand Cup has been comparatively free of protests and its recent history does not show one protest that has been upheld. Two years ago there was a protest, but the placings stood. On Tuesday the Minister will be in the birdcage at Addington to perform a similar matching of numbers and horses for the New Zealand Trotting Cup. There will be fewer winners that day, because the

field at present stands at 14, and there will be a longer wait, for the top-class pacers will run the two miles about 49sec slower than the gallopers. Fingers will be crossed again at the end of the race by club officials and the drawer of the horse first past the post, who recall two years ago when Stella Frost was there, but became an “also started” after a protest and inquiry.

A year ago the Australian visitor Junior’s Image won the race but was disqualified after the result of the swabbing was known some months later. Had there been a sweepstake the holder of the horse would have been paid out, because the sweepstake rules lay down that the prizes will be paid out to the holders or horses declared by the club to be dividend payers on the day.