TURF NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 11, 13 July 1944, Page 81

TURF NOTES

(BY "BINOCULAR."*

TROTTING CONTROL

ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENT

."This season has seen a further increase in stakes for distribution to owners, the, outstanding example being the £5000 for the New Zealand Cup at the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club's Spring Meeting," stated the president, Mr. H. F. Nicoll, in his report to be presented at the conference of delegates from trotting clubs, which was held in Wellington today. "The few meetings which are now permitted," continues Mr. Nicoll, "have, among other serious disabilities, resulted in an excess of maiden horses for which sufficient races could not be provided. To assist owners the

executive passed regulations that clubs should maintain the same number of maiden races as in the previous season. Classic races have well maintained their popularity, and some excellent encounters have eventuated. In addition to races for two- and three-year-olds, clubs have introduced races between three- and four-year-olds, and most interesting contests have resulted. "Taxation paid by trotting clubs has (again reached a high level, approximately £250,000. We thus continue to provide the Government with a valuable addition to the exchequer, free of cost of collection. Whilst many of our racecourses are urgently in need of repair and new; buildings, trotting clubs, almost without exception, are donating their profits to patriotic bodies and charities or else investing in Government loans.

TOTALISATOR PERMITS,

"We are at present undoubtedly suffering from restrictive and unsympathetic treatment—not, I am pleased to testify, by the Department of Internal Affairs, who recognise that trotting, along with our sister sport, are essential entertainment industries; but it does appear to me that the Government, as a whole, is under a serious misapprehension as to the spirit of the people in their great desire for the opportunity to enjoy, in their spare time, the branch of sport which most appeals to them. That trotting should have been curtailed in the number of permits was, perhaps, inevitable; but whether it was necessary is quite an open question which, if given the opportunity, the conference could have brought forward many sound arguments to controvert. ...

"It must be remembered that in 1939 we only had permits to race on eighty days, which was entirely- inadequate fox the demand both by the public and from those engaged in the sport. Last year the eighty days were reduced to forty, and although your executive had made repeated and urgent representations to the Government for extra permits, and with incontestable arguments, all that was allotted to us, in January this year, was five additional days—two for Methven and Palmerston North, who had been promised preference at our last conference, and three days for patriotic purposes. We received numerous applications for these permits, and despite rail and travel restrictions we could have advantageously placed i many more without any difficulty. The j three permits allowed us for patriotic purposes were allocated to Auckland, Christchurch, and Invercargill—the two former because they would produce most revenue for' the funds and also would provide the maximum stakemoney, and to Southland because it is agreed that that district, which is one of the most valuable breeding centres in the Dominion, is at present suffering disabilities owing to the restrictions which are making it impossible for the owners to convey their horses to northern meetings."

An analysis of the trotting permits exemplified under what amazing restrictions they were suffering. They had permits to race on forty-five days only, including eight for patriotic funds. There were no trotting meetings any r where in the Dominion on twenty-five Saturdays during the past season. The executive . had brought this aspect to the attention of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The Government was actively campaigning against the causes of inflation, particularly of the danger of so much money being in circulation. Here was an outlet for the abundance, which gave the Government an endless chain of revenue, cost nothing to collect—in fact, was offered on a plate by a large public, Who were thereby curtailing their own spending power and competition in the demand for goods, which was the biggest factor causing rising prices. The totalisator turnover had no detrimental effect upon the public's. subscriptions, as was made evident by the wonderful success of the £35,000,000 War Loan.

TROTTING RULES

SIMPLIFICATION URGED

"A question that has been on my mind for several years past is whether clubs and executives of trotting are not too rigidly governed in the Dominion by rules and regulations," stated Mr. H. F. Nicoll in his presidential report presented at the annual meeting of delegates from trotting clubs. "Further, many decisions arising out of happenings on the racecourse are being arrived at in a solely legal atmosphere, strait-jacketed by rules, when, the decision should rather be based upon fundamental principles of justice from the sporting viewpoint. In addition, our book of rules appears to all who have to administer them to be far too lengthy and cumbersome. We have here the rules of the English Jockey Club, dated February, 1944, covering forty-six pages and containing 185 rules; also the rules of the United States Trotting Association with fifty-seven pages, whereas we have a book with 170 pages and 548 rules. Our system of government, by club committees, the trotting association, and the conference, certainly made more rules' necessary than is the case under the English system, but we have room for considerable condensation and simplification. I hope we may be able to undertake this task in the near future.

COMMITTEE OF THREE,

"Another subject that I have been seriously considering is that of the control of our race meetings. You all know into what a troublesome business the racecourse inquiries have frequently developed, taking a judicial committee the major portion of an afternoon to hold an inquiry which is hedged in by so many legal arguments that all have to step warily. The judit cial committee has to endure an irksome and worrying day, and after having done their best to arrive at an impartial conclusion giving even- [ handed justice they are liable to have their decision upset by an appeal to the association, which, obliged to delve laboriously through the maze of innumerable rules, may discover that some minor technicality necessitates a reversal of what had been a just and proper finding. This causes one to believe that the time has arrived, not only for a simplification of our rules, but also for a' reconsideration of our racecourse control. In England, Australia, and America the control is by three stewards who conduct inquiries, and there is only one appeal from their decision, and that is to the governing racing authority. Here, if we adopted an analagous procedure, it could be to the stipendiary stewards' committee, which, as you know, is composed of the executive together with the president and vice-president of the Trotting Association, or else by some other such body appointed by the Conference. If the conference, after consideration, should decide to adopt such a method, not for the coming season, as it would be impossible to redraft the rules in time, the procedure would possibly be to appoint three permanent judicial stewards who would be supported by assistant stewards when required, and with the stipendiary stewards carrying on their usual functions.

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SEASON'S HONOURS

POSITIONS UNALTERED

With only four flat events on the programme at Trentham last Saturday the horsemen at the head of the jockeys' championship had limited opportunity of carrying their accounts further. Actually, the four winners were piloted by riders not waging issue for the championship, so positions among the leaders were unaltered. Oh the second day at Hastings L. J. Clutterbuck had annexed a championship point when he won on, Barrosa, but W. J. Broughton countered in the succeeding event on Glad Fox, and went further ahead by taking the concluding race on Roto Parera. H. N. Wiggins, who looked like playing a leading role at one stage of the season, has lost ground of late, and S. Waddell has joined him on the third rung of the ladder. Broughton has 37 championship points to his credit, Clutterbuck 32, and Wiggins and Waddell 30 each. All four will be in action here on Saturday.

Trainers' Table. —Four points over F. Smith, of Takanini, who topped the trainers' championship table for the Dominion last year, G. W. New, of Awapuni, promises to emerge with the honours for the 1943-44 season. He has had 27 winners to date. Back in the 1927-28 season he won the championship with a tally of 37 points. That year T. Green, who was at Awapuni, headed the jockeys' list, and history promises to be repeated this term, for both New and W. J. Broughton are domiciled there. Incidentally, Broughton served his apprenticeship with New, and S. Waddell, who will probably head the apprentices' list at the end of the month, is also apprenticed to him.

Last of Dam.—Paladeo, winner of the Vittoria Hurdles at Trentham last Saturday, carried off the Otago Hurdles on the opening day of the Dunedin Winter Meeting, but failed on the second day when raised a stone to 10.6. -At the patriotic fixture he was third to Kilcatoland Roman Son when giving away 41b and 21b to the pair. However, he turned the tables quite definitely at Trentham, but on this occasion the weights favoured

him, the Paladin gelding being in receipt of 71b from Kilcato and lib from Roman Son. Although his flat form was indifferent, Paladeo is the right type for hurdling. His dam, Artistic, is a daughter of Statuette, who was a good. performer in her day.

Good Lines.'-^Author's Dream, who was prominent'for a period! in the Vittoria Hurdles last • Saturday, is trained by R. Drinkw : ater at Blenheim, and for one of her experience made quite a creditable showing. A three-year-old, she'is by 'Defoe from Merry Thought, the ' dam . being by Night Raid ' from the Shambles mare Nightmare, • who did her racing in the colours :of Mr. L. H. Collinson, -.'■ - of. ':':■ Palmerston North. Wealth, a younger, half-sister by Paper Money to Nightmare, won the McLean Stakes at DunecTin as a juvenile, but did not go. ; much further.