Change to classing system sought

Press, 1 June 1981, Page 18

Change to classing system sought

PA Wellington Racing should take a tip from trotting and adopt the same method of classing its horses. A remit along these lines is to be put to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Raping Conference in July by? the Canterbury District Committee, it was revealed in Wellington on Thursday.

this was disclosed at the quarterly meeting Of the New .Zealand Racing Owners’ and Trainers’ Federation by the Central South Island delegate, Mr Peter South.

He said the exact wording of the remit is to be formulated by the Canterbury District Committee; next Thursday. It comes as a surprise that a change is to be requested as the present classification system has been in operation no more than six months. Since New Year’s Day a horse has been classed on number of wins rather than winning stakes earned.

However, it was generallyagreed at Thursd-<y’s meeting that the complication has arisen mainly through racing clubs not using the classification system when programming races. This was discussed at length with a hypothetical

case demonstrating how confusing some clubs are making it for owners and trainers in nominating and accepting. | A motion was finally carried that clubs should be urged to use the present classification system. However, Mr South pointed out the simplicity of the classification system used for pacers and trotters, in which up to a certain point there is a class for each win.

“This system has worked for 25 years in trotting and it has never been changed once,” said Mr South. “But in racing it has been changed about four times in the last seven or so years.”

At the near seven-hour meeting there was also considerable time given to a circular from the New Zealand Racing Authority to all racing clubs concerning next season’s stakes subsidy scheme. This account will have approximately an extra $1,000,000 in a full season with an additional 0.25 per cent coming from off-course betting turnover as the result of the introduction of the Racing Act, 1980. The circular was looked at closely and the federation had a number of comments to pass on to the Racing Authority before the scheme is set for the 1981-82 season.