TROTTING CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 9, 10 July 1935, Page 9

TROTTING CONFERENCE

AUSTRALIA AND X.Z.

IMPORTANT DELIBERATIONS

An outline of the deliberations reached at the conference of representatives of the trotting authorities in Australia and New Zealand, held re-" cently in Sydney, was given by Mr. H. F. Nicoll, president of the NewZealand Trotting Conference, who was one of New Zealand's delegates, in His address to the New Zealand Trotting Conference today. • Mr. Nicoll said that the chief matters discussed were handicapping systems, the handicapping of Australian horses in New Zealand, licensing and registration systems, registration, of horses' names, disqualifications, branding of horses, the appointment of an international council, and interDominion trotting contests. At the present time, he said, the New South Wales Trotting Club had adopted New Zealand's system of handicapping, and all the other States, excepting 'Victoria, intimated that they would probably do likewise as opportunity occurred. The Victorian body, which was a proprietary concern, was using the old system which New Zealand abandoned some years ago, and the delegate would not consider any change. The handicapping of Australian horses visiting New Zealand was discussed in a very friendly spirit, and. the conference appeared to agree with his argument that it' was impossible for New Zealand to accept the Australian assessments upon their visiting horses to the Dominion whilst every. State was working upon a different handicapping basis. "This can be appreciated," said Mr. Nicoll, "when you know that in Victoria if a horse wins upon a slow track without bettering his time, because of bad weather conditions, the winner is only penalised 12 to 24 yards, and if the horse is unplaced in his next three starts he is then let up again. What chance would our horses have against s.uch competition, seeing that a New Zealand horse might be penalised 72 yards for a relative performance with no let-up for at least twelve months? Moreover, horses running second in most of the States receive no penalty. The delegates did not press the arguments, and were so reasonable that it • was a pleasure to tell them that I would bring the subject before our handicapping committee to consider whether it might be possible to make some concession." In Australia, continued Mr. Nicoll, all States started their races from a stand, but did not use a barrier, and some had a 6, 8, and 10 yards' distance. It was unanimously agreed that the 12 yards distance should become the inter-Dominion basis and that all races should be started from a barrier. The Victorian and New Zealand delegates submitted forms in connection with licensing and registration systems, which were approved, and other States agreed to work on similar lines. "Despite our protest," said Mr. Nicoll, when discussing the registration of horses' names, "it was decided that no name once registered in ,any State should ever be duplicated. Your delegates pointed out that the apparent absurdity of such a regulation, be-' cause many horses are registered who never start in a race and are never heard of again, and one cannot see any reason why after a reasonable time, say, 10 15, or even 20 years, such a name, carrying no record and no sentimental value, should be banned, say in New Zealand, because it was registered, but never used, in Western Australia many years ago. A division was taken on the motion and the majdty was against us. No doubt the matter will be raised again at the next conference." DISQUALIFICATIONS. It was resolved in connection with disqualifications that where a person had been disqualified for life in one State, and if residing later in another State, the original State would favourably consider any recommendation made by the residential authority. It was decided that all horses visiting New Zealand from the Commonwealth and vice versa should carry a distinguishing brand. No particular form of brand was considered to be necessary. The question of the appointment of an inter-Dominion council was fought very strenuously by one or two delegates, but it was decided that the next meeting should be held in Adelaide during its centenary carnival in 1936, and that the president of the State and secretary of the club staging the inter-Dominion, contests each year should be the officers of the council, and that the president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference should be a joint president for the first two years. Mr. F. Howell, secretary of the New South Wales Trotting Club, was appointed permanent secretary to the council. In connection with inter-Dominion trotting contests, it was unanimously agreed that the first carnival should be held in' Perth, the second in Adelaide, and the third in New Zealand, and that each State should be solely responsible for the programme and financing of its own carnival and other States to assist in all other ways pos-) sible. Every delegate appeared to be most enthusiastic, and applications were put in for the fourth carnival, but it was felt that the council could not plan further ahead that decided upon.