Strong criticism of conference decision

Press, 19 December 1984, Page 51

Strong criticism of conference decision

By

G. K. YULE

The executive of the Trotting Conference will be urged to reconsider its decision made last week to approve a suggestion that all heats, finals, and consolation races at InterDominion Championship series be started from behind the mobile barrier. A request along those lines would be sent immediately to the conference, said the president of the Metropolitan Club, Mr Dan McCormick, who said his club was extremely angry about the decision made by the executive. The decision of the executive will be forwarded to the Inter-Dominion Concil for its meeting to be held in Melbourne late in February or early in March next. Should all the states involved in running an InterDominion series approve, the agreement governing the series will be amended to allow for all championship events to be run from behind the mobile barrier. The fact that mobile starting for all InterDominion events was to be discussed at the next meeting of the council had been referred to his club by the conference some weeks ago, said Mr McCormick. "As a result the conference was advised that the

club’s committee is unanimously opposed to any change in the rules whereby mobile starts are to be mandatory,” he said. “That is not to say that we are in any way opposed to mobile starts as such. However, we prefer to have the right to decide what we consider to be appropriate for an Inter-Dominion series run at Addington Raceway. “The decision of the Victorian Harness Racing Control Board to run all events in the 1985 Inter-Dominion series from a mobile start with barrier positions determined by the normal handicapping assessment of the contenders is an interesting variation. We will be watching this closely. “It may well be shown that the Popular Alms and Gammalites would have been better off starting from behind the front from a stand rather than from the second line behind the mobile barrier,” he said.

“The decision of the executive, which appears to have ignored completely the experience of my club in running Inter-Dominion Championship series, has disappointed and disgusted the committee,” said Mr McCormick.

“It does lend weight to our contention that as an Inter-Dominion club, we

should be directly represented on the InterDominion Council rather than rely on members of the executive of the conference, the majority of whom can have no conception of what is involved,” he concluded.

No confirmation can be obtained on a suggestion that the decision of the executive was far from unanimous. He had heard that the decision of the executive had been reached on the casting vote of the chairman, Mr Dewar Robertshaw, of Auckland, and that one member of the group had not attended the meeting, said Mr McCormick, but whether that was correct he could not say.

“It has never been conference policy to give any indication of voting at meetings of the executive and under no circumstances will I make any comment,” said the chief executive officer of the conference, Mr John Rowley, when asked about the majority on the issue involving mobile starting at Inter-Dominion Championships.