COURSING

Evening Star, Issue 22233, 10 January 1936, Page 4

COURSING

MOTES AHD COMMENTS

[By PLCunoN.]

The Baldutha Coursing Club has made rapid progress with its new plumpton, which will be a great asset to the club so far as obtaining outside entries are concerned, as the new plumpton is situated in the town. The Dunedin Club has also made good progress with the new fence to form its plumpton on Forbury Park. The new plumpton will be i ready for coursing when the season opens, and with the big number of greyhounds owned in and around Dunedin this club should enjoy a Successful season. This club should also receive a good nomination of dogs from outside clubs.

The Nightcaps Club has made a few minor alteration on its plumpton, which will help to make its plumpton more popular with nominators. This club

has enjoyed two good _seasons since the pluliipton was formed in 1934, and with the assistance of the Southland and Balclutha Clubs should have another successful season this year. As the Waterloo Cup is to be run this year in the South Island, very keen interest will be taken in the sport by all dubs, as well as by owners and trainers. This is the blue ribbon event in the coursing world, and each club will be anxious to sec which one is given permission to control the event by the New Zealand Coursing Association, the headquarters of which are in Dunedin. The clubs likely to be seeking permission are:—Christchurch, North Otago. Dunedin, Baidutha. Invercargill, and Nightcaps. During last season the stakes controlled by the Christchurch Club were not well patronised owing to

the small number of dogs in the district, and this will, of course, be against the chances of this club being given control of the cup event. The North Otago Club was favoured with the control of the Australasian Waterloo Cup in 1934, and it must be said of those who controlled this fixture that they carried out their duties in a most efficient manner. Having had control of this event in 1934, it is not likely that the club will be given this year's event, although no dub in the island has proved itself more capable of controlling such an event as this. The Dunedin Club may not receive the allocation because it hfts been inactive for a few seasons, and, this will be the club’s first season of activity controlling its own fixtures. The Nightcaps Club has controlled all its meetings very successfully, but as it has been in existence only two seasons, and as travelling to and from there is very inconvenient for outside dogs and owners alike, its chances of being favoured with control of this year’s event are slight. The Baldutha Club will no;doubt be right after the event, and rightly so, as the sport in that district is fast going ahead; but it had control this

season of the South Island Challenge Championship Cup event, and it is quite likely that it may be passed over on this account in favour Of the Southland Club.

The Southland Club last season held many very successful fixtures, both in regard to entries and from a financial point of view. The officials who Controlled the fixtures carried out their duties in a very capable manner, and it is worthy of note that this club keeps owners and trainers right up' to the mark, with the result that PO time is lost between courses. This is a policy that other clubs would do well to adopt. The North Otago and Southland Clubs are outstanding in this respect. On looking over the respective, chances of all the clubs mentioned, “ Plumpton ” would not be surprised to see permission granted the Southland Club to control the 1936 Waterloo Cup event, and if this happens entries for this year’s event should show a big increase on those of the last fen l years. A great draw so far as owners are concerned would be added money to the stake by either the Southland Club or the New Zealand ’Coursing Association, which gives a handsome cup for the event each year. It is very likely that the North Otago Club will again be given permission to control the New Zealand Derby and Oaks fixture, a meeting which had not been run for about 20 years until this club was granted permission to control these events in 1934 and also last year. There is a likelihood of the association giving money to bo added to the stake, arid it is only right that the club which has done so much to revive these classics should be given a preference over other clubs when the added money is first given. Mr W. Everest, who is at present visiting Dunedin, was at one time one of the best-known coursing men in the Dominion, and in the Waikato he was prominently associated with the _ sport m all its phases over a long period of years. He has been a judge at Australasian Waterloo Cup fixtures, and in the early days of coursing in Otago his father was associated with the sport.