Subsidies up for 19 races

Press, 28 July 1976, Page 20

Subsidies up for 19 races

Ail additional 19 feature or [restricted age races will next! i season receive payments j from the stakes subsidy scheme of the Racing Author-| ity. The authority has granted [ $l5OO to the Timaru Nursery! Stakes, which this season carried a stake of $3OOO. The other 18 races will] each receive $lOOO. The Canterbury clubs to receive grants of $lOOO are Ashburton (N.Z. Champion Stakes), Metropolitan (Dominion Handicap, N.Z. Welcome Stakes), New Brighton (Celebrity Stakes), Canterbury Park (Cross Stakes, Four-year-old Flying Mile) and Geraldine (Orari Challenge Stakes). The other clubs to receive grants are:— Auckland (N.Z. Juvenile Championship, Rosso Antica Stakes, Rowe Cup) Franklin (North Island Standard Breeders’ Stakes), Thames (Thames Juvenile Stakes), Cambridge (Cambridge Gold Cup), Morrinsville (Carousel Stakes), Te Awamutu (N.Z. Sires’ Produce Stakes), Wellington (Hosking Stakes), Gore (Tanqueray Stakes) and Invercargill (Southland Juvenile Championship). There will now be a_ total of 34 races receiving $59,500 in subsidies, compared with 15 receiving $40,000 this season. Clubs will be encouraged to increase stakes for races with limits from CO to C 3 as a result of a change in the format of the stakes subsidy scheme. Until the present the more clubs gave by wav of stakes, the smaller the subsidy they received. From August 1, clubs will not receive less than previously by way of subsidies no

matter by how much they in- ! crease stakes. ■ Clubs which previously paid the full amount in stakes I for the various classes received $2OO by way of subsidy. Such clubs will now receive an extra $lOO. I Where a club increased its (stake for a race by, say $5O, ■it lost that amount in stakes (subsidy. In future there is incentive for clubs to increase stakes without affecting what has previously been paid by way of subsidy. The new subsidies will affect programmes already published for meetings at Kurow, Addington and Cambridge.