RACING CONFERENCE

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11593, 20 July 1900, Page 4

RACING CONFERENCE

[BY TBLSOBATH,] Wellington, Thursday. The Bating Conference opened this morning under the presidency of Mr George Clifford. Every affiliated olub was represented. In his annual report Sir George Clifford said the Conference 'should regard with pleasure the more stringent aotion against unauthorised totalisators, or walking imitations of them. The relio of barbarism whioh survived in the dedu"tion of 5 per cent from winnings was now confined to 30 clubs out of 83. He announced that the English Jockey Club had included the New Zealand Eacing Conference on the list of turf authorities, having a reciprocal arrangement with it for the mutual enforcement of sentences passed on offenders. He gave some interesting particulars concerning a spurious jockey, who may be a tout, spieler, or general rogue, who still discredits an honorable profession to which he is an unwelcome hanger-on. Rule No. 142 was amended to provide that "On and after Ist Augußt, 1903, no new jockey's license will be issued unless the applicant has served an apprenticeship of at least three years in a recognised training establishments, save that under exceptional circumstances the jockey's license may be issued to duly qualified jockeys arriving from other countries, or to persons who without having served an apprenticeship have proved their ability to ride in races ; " " That trainers shall mean persons employed in training horses for payment or upon terms; no suoh trainer may run horses in his own name unless he is a registered partner in their ownership, and any trainer so running a horse shall thereby become disqualified." — Additional regulations governing apprentices were also adopted, It was decided that the programme of every meeting held between 30th April and Ist September shall contain at least one flat race of not less than one mile on each day. Bule 24 was amended to provide that two-year-olds shall not be allowed to race in any handicap in which horses other than two and three-year-olds are engaged. The Dunedin Jockey Club moved that Bule 42a. be struck out, and the following substituted : "In all races by the conditions of which horses which have won open races are barred from entry, no horse shall be eligible to start which has won a race of the value of 80 soys at any time or races of the collective value of 160 soys during the current racing season." The motion was lost. The following proviso was added to rule 142 : - " Provided that any person who has never received payment in conneotion with the training or riding of horses, and is not otherwise ineligible, may train his own horse without a license." Rule 142 was also altered to provide : — "That no jockey who is also a trainer shall ride in any race in which more than one horse trained or owned by himself runs, but if only one horse so trained starts, he can ride that horse and no otter." Later. The committee appointed to deal with the crostion of totalisator permits presented their report. In the Auckland district the Avondale Jockey Club was granted two permits; if the Whangarei Jockey Club does not use its permit the Northern Wairoa Racing Club will be granted the permit. In the Canterbury district the application of the Cheviot Eacing Club was declined and the Ashburton County Eacing Club was granted two permits. In the Wanganui district the Waverley-Waitotara Eacing Club was granted one permit. Avondale, Ashbur,ton, and Waverley had each applied for one permit more than was granted. The following clubs were recommended for permits if available : — Waver-ley-Waitotara, Waihi Miners', Cheviot and Avondale, in that order. In regard to the other clubs the recommendations were on the same lines as last year. The committee appointed to deal with the question of dates of meetings recommended that the dispute between the Woodville and Manawatu Clubs and the Westport and Beef toil Clubs be referred, to arbitration. The 'Woodville, Waitata, Oxford, and Waverley- Waitotara Clubs were directed to alter the dates of their meetings to the satisfaction of the chairman of the conference. The totalisator permit committee recommended that any club which has no permanent racecourse or improvements to the value of .£250 be not eligible for permit after the year 1900-1901. This was agreed to. Bule 7 was interpreted to read that country clubs having trotting racos on their programmes must give the full amount of stakes according to the rules. At the request of the New Zealand Hunt Club Association several amendments were made in Bule 162. On the motion of the Greymouth Jookey Club Bule 163 was amended, making it compulsory that all horses running in the same ownership shall be bracketed on the totalisator. The following new rale, drafted by the chairmin, was agreed to:— "On the request of the judges it shall be the duty of the Jockey Club to investigate any collateral offences remitted by the judges for its consideration." The Hawke's Bay Jockey Club moved, " That all clubs giving stakes of the value of .£SOO or upwards at their meeting shall have one weight-for age or classical race at such meeting ; the stake for such race shall be in proportion of not less than 10 per cent on the total added money given in stakes at such meeting. This regulation shall not apply to meetings held between 31st May and Ist September." — This was negatived. It was decided that country clubs shall before June Ist in every year submit dates for their race meetings to metropolitan club of the district, and the metropolitan olub shall transmit by Ist July, with any remarks thereon that may appear necessary to the Conference. It was resolved that the Conference at its annual meeting shall fix dates of race meetings throughout! the colony for the | ensuing racing year. The question of having /a uniform hurdle for the colony was relegated to a committee to consider. The Conference adjourned till 11.30 tomorrow, when Mr Ward will address the delegates.