DIVISION RACES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 9, 10 July 1943, Page 7

DIVISION RACES

POSITION IN VICTORIA

In commenting upon the larger fields and the necessity for many events having to be run in divisions, Mr. H. R. Chalmers (president) at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Racing Conference pointed out that some action might have to be taken by the Conference, although it was largely a domestic matter for the clubs themselves. Nevertheless, he was -personally of the opinion that division races should be avoided and that elimination, either by ballot or by some other means, should be generally imposed. When in Victoria in September last, where balloting was the method adopted,, he had noticed that on one occasion 68 horses had been balloted out of one race. In a handicap " race advertised in • the Victorian Racing Calendar of March last he had observed the following conditions, which might be of interest to clubs in the Dominion:—

"Should it be necesasry at time of acceptance to reduce the number of acceptors to the safety limit, the excess acceptors will be eliminated by ballot in the following order: (1) Horses that have not won or received £150 (clear of own stake) in any one flat race; (2) aged horses that have not won £390 (clear of own stake) in any one flat race; (3) aged horses that have not won a flat race for a period of twelve months prior to date of acceptance; (4) six-year-old horses tnat have not won £390 (clear of own stake) in any one flat race; (5) sectional ballot."

"I fully realise," continued Mr. Chalmers, "that with 'the restricted number of races, many owners like the chance to race their horses, even if divisions have to be resorted to, but I think that whilst clubs must consider the interests of owners, trainers, and jockeys, they must also consider the public, who, after all, largely provide the money which enables clubs to give good stakes. All owners and wouldbe owners know that the days of racing have been reduced by half. Therefore, they cannot expect the same opportunities as they enjoyed in the years before the war and they can have no legitimate grievance if club executives use their powers and decide to reduce fields in order to avoid division races."

In an obituary notice published yesterday it was stated that Constable B. S. Morrison was a widower, information which was obtained from an official source. It is now pointed out that Constable Morrison's first wife died and he remarried. He is survived by the second wife, who lives at 33 Connaught Terrace, Brooklyn.