Stakes increased

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 37

Stakes increased

PA Hastings The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club has substantially increased stakes for the feature races at its spring meeting on September 9 and 13.

The race with the most significant increase is the Byerley Thoroughbred Stakes, a weight-for-age event run over 1400 metres on the first day of the meeting. It has had a stake increase of $15,000, making it worth $40,000.

The Beamish Bloodstock Stakes and Anthony G. Cavanagh Stakes, both also run on the first day, have been increased from $45,000 to $50,000, while the Okawa Guineas on the second day of the meeting has also been increased $5OOO to $50,000.

Minor increases have been made to the stakes of all other races at this meeting, as well as races at the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club’s summer meeting at New Year. The Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club has just completed an outstanding season in which it will be one of the few clubs to show an increase in oncourse turnover.

Total on-course betting on the eight days of racing held by the club was $3,454,583, an increase of $397,521 or 11.5 per cent on last year.

The club also had a great season with its offcourse figures, up 20.43 per cent as against the national increase of about 8.25 per cent.

The total off-course turnover at Hawke's Bay meetings was $17,958,741, an increase of $3,669,666 on last year.