SPORTING.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 16, 20 January 1914, Page 3

SPORTING.

NELSON TROTTING CLUB

AN UNLUCKY EXPERIMENT.

The nominations received for the Nelson Trotting Club's race meeting to be held next month are extremely disappointing, although the comparatively, poor response on the part of the owners was not altogether unexpected an view of the radical alterationa made in last year's programme, which proved highly successful in every way; In spite of an increase of £150 in the stakes,,. £450 being offered-' for ; this year's' meeting; as £300, last year; the nomination® this year total 62 as against 146 last year, and 143. for the previous year. The cause of the falling off can be directly attributed (remarks the Colonist) to the distances of the various races _in this year's programme, all of which are either for one mile one furlong, or two miles two furlongs. At ihe time the programme was submitted to a general meeting of the club for approval, several members took strong exception to the deletion of the mile and a half events, and urged -that the odd furlong should be cut out of the other raoeS, and even distances substituted, but a majority of the meeting approved the programme -as drafted in globo. The object of the alteration in the distances to a mile and one furlong and "two1 miles and two furlongs raspectively was stated to have been«o that .all-races should be started in front of tlhe stand. From -a -spectacular'point of "view .tins may be all right for flat races, but one fails to see where the public can be interested in seeing horses despatched in. prcr? cession as is done in handicap; trotting events. Moreover the fixing :6ithe distances asdpne by-the club absolutely debars owners who do , not possess sprinters or stayers from starting in middle: or -long distance events, as. no provision is made for them in the programme. That mile and1 ahalf: events ha?e in the past proved popular and profitable - to.. the club is shown, by the nominations arid axjceptaiices that-have been received. Two district! races were also put on "the programme this year, the reason advareed for -.this being that' there were over, thirty local horses which would be nominated for both events. The result shows. that the. statement was not justified, as the number received for both only totals twenty-seven from fourteen horses, as against nineteen received for the district race last year. One of,, the horses nominated for both these events appears oh the forfeit list of the official calendar which cam© to hand yesterday,' and is therefore ineligible. ,The Ladies' Bracelet which has always figured as an interesting event in the club's programme was substituted this year by the President's Handicap, on the ground that better entries would be i, received for a stake than a trophy, f but again this sanguine '\ anticipation proved incorrect, thirteen entries only being forthcoming for the handicap against eighteen for last year's Bracelet. Then again it was argued that a two and, a half miles race was, too long, and if the distance was reduced to two miles and two furlongs a more liberal response would be received. With what result? Last year the Richmond Handicapoosf s 2| miles attracted twenty entries, this year the same race, reduced:to two* miles two furlongs, has two entries, probably the smallest number ever received for a race in the history of the club, or, any other ,club. Comparing this year's nominations with last year's., the result shows clearly that the alterations made by a majority of the committee hay© not been in the best interests of the club. The comparative figures are as follows:— Pioneer Trot, 1913, H miles, 19, Pioneer Trot,' 1914, two miles two furlongs, 14 ; Waimea. Handicap, 1913, two miles, 22; Waimea Handicap, 1914, one mile one furlong, 8; Nelson Trotting Club's Handicap, 1913, two miles, 24; Nelson Trotting.Club's Handicap; 1914, two miles twoluiIcngs, 7; Ladies' Bracelet, 1013, two miles, 18; President's Handicap, 1914, two miles two furlongs, 13; Brightwater Handicap. 1913, 1£ miles, I' 18; Birightwater Handicap, 1914, two miles two furlongs, 2; Dash Handicap, 1913, one mile, 26; Dash Handicap, 1914, one mile one furlong, 8; total, 1913, 146; total, 1914, 62 V Nor will the excuse that the date is unsuitable hold water, because the fix•t'ura is to take place on the second Wednesday in' February, which is the same day' as the meeting was held last year. \TTie only roce meeting nea.r this date is the New Zealand Metropalital February meeting, to be held on 14th February, and as few horses from south nominate for. the Nelson -meeting it eaniiot be said that this meeting has had an effect on the ! local club. The poor 'response from {.the West Coast, Marlborough arid the | North Island is certainly to be deI plored. Of coiirse if the percentage of acceptances is high, there will be ■some interesting races, but the fields jin any circumstances cannot be as | large as last, year, and the Club will j have some difficulty, unless there is l a \ large attendance of the public, in | making good on the liberal increase in | stakes, and the experiment of making '; drastic alterations in a programme ' which lifis wov<vl »3'<.t'sf'ir+'"-' T- "•»■ J"'"1«- ---,,..„+ -~.^nV\s t o ] >0 n co.sLlv one for the Club.

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