Hororata holding last meeting

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 30

Hororata holding last meeting

By

G. K. YULE

The Hororata Trotting Club, which held its first totalisator meeting in April, 1958, will hold its final meeting on its own course on Saturday. Next season the club will transfer its permit to Ashburton. The club, which has run one of the most popular country meetings in Canterbury, has, like so many others, been forced into a financial corner as a result of the introduction of the Jetbet system and a possible huge expense involved in bringing other amenities on the course up to standard. The club tried every means possible to retain its permit at Hororata, going as far as seeking donations to help meet the costs. However, these efforts were unsuccessful and at the annual meeting in 1983 a recommendation from the committee that the club shift its activities to Ashburton was accepted by an overwhelming majority. The struggle for survival at Hororata goes back to 1966, about 12 months after the Hororata Racing Club shifted its activities to Riccarton. A few months earlier the club was informed by the

Trotting Conference that any decision to centralise at Addington would not be approved. The committee made a decision to shift to Rangiora after considering Methven, Ashburton and Motukarara as other alternative venues. A special meeting held in March, 1966, reversed the decision of the committee so the club continued racing on its own course. In 1973 an offer to centralise at Motukarara was made by the Banks Peninsula Club, but again the offer was declined. A little more than a year later the Racing Authority entered the centralisation argument telling the club it should shift to another course. Once again the club' resisted vigorously and successfully, agreeing, though, that in the event of a shift being forced, it would shift to Methven. The club was actually formed in 1951 with Mr A. J. Harris its first president and .Mr T. D. Jarman elected patron. Messrs Ray Hyman and Brian Thwaites, original members of the committee, are still officials of the club. The first seven-race matinee meeting was held in March, 1952, these gatherings . continuing . until

1958. Eight races were run at the club’s first totalisator meeting on April 26, 1958, when the main event was won by Raven Dew, owned by the Jamison brothers, of Ashburton, trained by Frank McKendry and driven by Gladdy McKendry. On-course turnover was £21,452 10s, with off-course investments amounting to a paltry £15,747 15s. The club’s, record turnover was achieved in 1982 when the on-course total was $215,665, while $386,066 came from off-course sources. The club’s president, Mr Tom Brankin, who took office on the death of Mr Trevor Stevens, in 1981, is confident that given favourable weather, the club’s final meeting on its home course will be one of its best ever. Nine of the 10 races have .been sponsored, bringing the .total stakes to a record $27,700. As well a number of other events have been arranged to mark the meeting, including an exhibition saddle race over 1700 m in which the contestants will include Michael de Filippi, Peter Jones, Gerard O’Reilly, Tony Robb and Lynette Bebbington.