No TV coverage

Press, 19 May 1984, Page 19

No TV coverage

PA Wellington New Zealanders will be able to bet on the four big races of the Brisbane winter carnival in June and July but they will not see them live on television. The T.A.B. said that Television New Zealand had turned down a request to show the Elders Handicap and Brisbane Cup, June 9 and 11, and the Rothmans One Hundred Thousand and Fourex Cup, July 7 and 14. The T.A.B.’s marketing manager, Mr Blake Henderson said the T.A.B. had a sponsor for the four races but was told by T.V.N.Z. that the races would not be shown live.

He said T.V.N.Z. had been upset by race start-time changes in Sydney at Easter.

T.V.N.Z.’s head of sports, Mr Keith McEwen, said the

Brisbane races did not fit into the programme schedule but he also said the Easter experience had influenced the decision. “Last-minute changes to the start times of some of the races upset viewers — the audience needs to know when the races are going to be on.” Mr McEwen added that the June-July period was a busy one for T.V.N.Z. sports and he said other winter sports have a higher priority than racing. The T.A.B. will take win and place, quinella and trifecta bets on the four big races and on the $lOO,OOO Prime Minister’s Cup at Southport, Queensland on Wednesday. The New Zealand stayer, Avitt, has won the race the last two years and will be trying for his third victory on Wednesday.