Pacing Championships in jeopardy

Press, 17 April 1982, Page 17

Pacing Championships in jeopardy

NZPA Perth The Australian Pacing Championships, to be held at Gloucester Park, Perth, in December is in jeopardy because the Western Australian Trotting Association is having difficulty transporting horses from other states. The association had to cancel the Australian Derby, due to be held this evening, because transport arrangements broke down. The association’s secretary, Mr Ray Holloway, said it would have cost $75,700 using the normal air charter service to transport five' inter-state Derby horses and the New Zealand three-year-old, Mel’s Boy. “The committee considered they couldn’t justify the expenditure for a $50,000 race,” he said yesterday. Arrangements were made

. with a Sydney firm to fly three horses at a cost of about $30,000. But that fell through later and the association decided it could not>. run the race as an Australian Derby without eastern-states horses. A $30,000 Invitation All Stars race for three-year-olds will be held instead. It will have all but two of the field which competed in the recent Western Australian Derby. “If the association isn’t able to get a better service by air freight to Perth then all the major races conducted by the association have to be in jeopardy,” Mr Holloway said. “In December we have the Australian Pacing Championship, followed closely by the Benson and Hedges Cup — both are in the grand circuit

of pacing. . “It’s not possible to run an Australian Pacing Championship or an Australian Derby without eastern-states entries — because then it’s not an Australian event,” he said. “The Benson and Hedges could get by but if you're going to get the best for patrons you have to get the best horses across." A Perth company, Bloodstock Air Services, was starting a freighter service but Mr Holloway did. not know how soon. An alternative was for the W.A.T.A. to . approach the Federal Government to restore a regular charter service or allow other airlines, such as Qantas, Air New Zealand, Ipec or T.A.A. to operate. The association had severe problems arranging air charter for last month’s Inter-Dominion Pacing championship series in Perth. Connections of the Victorian horse, Gammalite, pulled out in despair but those connected with Popular Alm (Victoria) persevered and eventually paid money out of their own pockets to get a plane to Perth. The Australian Trotting Council and the W.A.T.A. also contributed.