TROTTING OWNERS.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 14, 28 August 1930, Page 10

TROTTING OWNERS.

PAYING FOR THEIR SPORT

/ Speaking at the annual meeting of the Wellington Trotting Club, the president, B. A. Armstrong, drew attention to the large contribution to the upkeep of the sport made by the owners of trotting liorses. Last season^ in round figures, he said, fourteen hundred different horses competed. At a very conservative estimate this represented a mainten<ance cost to the owners for the season of about £360,000. This estimate made no allowance for the capital value of the animals and left out entirely the large number of horses not actually competing that were either in training or being otherwise maintained. The net amount returned to the owners in stakes was in round figures £173,000, including the several benefit meetings. y Of course, continued Mr Armstrong, only a limited number of owners were fortunate enough to paticipate in the division of stake money. It would be seen that the owners as a whole in the upkeep* of those horses actually competing, had contributed over twice the amount that was available as a return by way of stakes. It was necessary, said Mr Armstrong that these facts should be made public, as there was an impression abroad, unfortunately fostered by gome officials, that the owners had all the best of it. As a matter of fact, the owners as a class paid heavily for their sport, but they did so quite cheerfully and only asked that justice and due consideration be shown them by the authorities in the aport. . ,'' .