CONFERENCE MUST ACT

NZ Truth, Issue 1274, 1 May 1930, Page 9

CONFERENCE MUST ACT

More Races Are Necessary For Apprentice Riders

"Truth?' has consistently advocated an alteration m the rules to ; provide more ' opportunities for apprentices to learn the art pf race riding. - *

AS the rules are at present, clubs are only forced to put on a race, for the kids when a meeting e,xtends Wer three or more days. _ j ; There are very few -fixtures of three days or over, and this means that ' apprentices are provided, under the rules, with 'about five meetings m a season — Ellerslie, Awapuni, Riccart'on, Trentham and Riverton. • " ' Of course other cjubs which are not forced to ; put on the race do so, but nevertheless the youthfuj rider has for most of the time to battle his way with experienced men. 1 That the absence of races for apprentices is having its effect on the

production of class horsemen is very evident, and the fact that Hector Gray, after a long spell from the saddle, can start with the season three months gone and get to the top of the list, and clear out, is conclusive enough proof of to-day's position. Some apprentices get on— take, the cases of Keith Voitre, Turoa Webster, and the coming kid, Sid. Gerrand— but a lot of their success is due to the good

work 'their masters put m. * -If is -not a case altogether of what they are taught, either. Any amount of trainers teach their boys, but very few will get out and battle for mounts for them. There is an ever-increasing demand for boys to be apprenticed, and trainers complain that It is hard to get lads. ' Is there- any wonder? A first rate" profession, apprenticeship these days offers little to youngsters. Over ninety out of every hundred indentured start and finish a "stropper." The question of finding the riders for the future is .a- serious one, and it is up to the Conference to make some endeavor to alleviate the position. More apprentice races must be on programmes, whether the clubs like "them or not. Because the crowd do not speculate freely on this type of race should not carry weight with officials. The time is fast arriving when the crowd will not speculate on races with fully-fledged jockeys m the saddle, for the very good reason that the jockey of to-morrow -will actually be the apprentice of - to-day — the apprentice who was never given the chance to learn his trade.