Special meeting for jumpers

Press, 1 June 1981, Page 18

Special meeting for jumpers

PA Wellington A day’s racing mainly devoted to jumpers is to be staged by the Auckland Racing Club in September. This was confirmed in Wellington on Thursday by Mr Jack Pollock, of the new Zealand Racing Authority, when attending the quarterly meeting of the New Zealand Racing Owners’ and Trainers’ Federation. Mr Pollock said the Auckland Racing Club required a special permit but this has now been granted by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Highet. The meeting is scheduled for Friday, September 25, which is the day before> the opening for the Mitchelson Cup meeting run by the A.R.C. on September 26 and October 3. | The idea comes from Cam- : bridge jumping enthusiast, iKen Browne, who intends to

make it a week for jumpers with the Waikato Hunt Club’s meeting being run on Tuesday, September 29, and the “Ready to Run” jumpers sale in Hamilton the previous day. It also envisaged that amateur riders from overseas would be invited to compete with New Zealanders in an amateur riders’ event. - The two feature races would be named the Champion Hurdles and the Champion Steeplechase and with special clauses that only the best performed jumpers could compete in the races. There would also be incentives for the top South Island jumpers to compete with generous travelling allowances and it is also thought if any top horses appear during the winter in Australia their owners could, be approached to bring their horses over for the meeting.