TROTTING CLUB

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24474, 6 December 1940, Page 3

TROTTING CLUB

MEETING OF COMMITTEE INCIDENTS AT RECENT MEETING NEW JUDGE APPOINTED A meeting of the committee of the Forbury Park Trotting Club was held last night, and was attended by Messrs B. S. Irwin, president (in the chair), James Mitchell, H. Archbold, C. R. Hadfield, H. H. Halliday, A. H. Todd, D. C. Jolly, James Black, James Samson, J. Richardson, D. H. Blackie and A. Ferguson. Motion of Sympathy The chairman referred to the deaths of Messrs Martin McGrath, A. E. Horwood and C. J. Meade. He said that they were all well known to members of the club, as they had been members for many years. He moved that letters of sympathy be sent to the relatives of the deceased, the motion being carried in silence. Soldiers Pleased Major Lees, officer commanding the First Southland Regiment, wrote thanking the club for its help and co-opera-tion' during the stay of the regiment at the park. The men would have happy memories of the camp at Forbury.—The letter was received. Damaged Sulkies A suggestion that the club should institute a fund to meet the cost of repairing sulkies damaged during a race Was considered, the chairman remarking that it would be impossible for clubs to give effect to the suggestion. It was really a matter for the trainers and breeders themselves. Recent Race, Meeting The secretary (Mr C. R. Caffln) submitted a rough balance sheet of.the spring meeting, the chairman stating that a satisfactory position was disclosed. • . In answer to a question, the chairman said that net profits at the end of the club's financial year would be devoted to patriotic purposes. Licences Recommended Raymond James Holt applied for an amateur licence to ride, drive and train, Glover Gray for a professional licence t 0 train, and Samuel F. Wells for an amateur licence to ride and drive. It was decided to recommend the applications to the Trotting Association for its approval. Summer Meeting It was decided to fix the stakes for the summer meeting at £4700, tne same amount as last year. - The chairman remarked that tne club had lost £9OO on its summer meeting of 1939. . , It was decided to start the first race at 12.30 p.m., with 40-minute intervals. Clearing out the Ducks Mr Richardson said that ducks on the pond in the middle of the course were proving a nuisance. They at times frightened the horses on the track, and on his motion it was decided to clear out the ducks. A member remarked, amidst laughter, that they might hear from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Appointment of Judge After the third race on the second day of the recent race meeting the attention of the judge (Mr A O. Wellwood, of Christchurch), who had up to then had an assistant with him in the box, was drawn to the fact that he could not have an assistant. Mr Wellwood thereupon declined to act further. Mr J. Stevens taking the position.

When the question.of appointing a judge for the summer meeting came up. the chairman said that in connection with the necessity that- had arisen to appoint a judge, he had seen quite a lot in the newspapers about what had occurred. He did not understand it. Either the people who wrote to the newspapers did not know the rules of trotting, or they did not know how to understand them. The club had never had a rule applicable to their judge. The position was governed by the Rules of Trotting. The chairman quoted the rule bearing on the point, and said that rule 391 provided that a race should be judged by a duly-appointed judge, or his dulyauthorised substitute. There was no such thing as a judge's assistant, and there never had been in racing in New Zealand or anywhere else. The late Mr W. Rudkin, who had at one time acted as their judge, would not allow anybody in the judge's box with him. Their next judge had asked for permission for someone to note down the placings. as given him by the judge. The judge at their recent meeting, Mr Wellwood. had, he understood from one of their stewards, taken a pressman into the box with him, and this pressman had placed the third and fourth horses as they passed the winning post. If this was not a breach of the rules he did not know what was. There was only one person who could judge, and no one else had a right to be in the box. Mr Tcdd: It is a pity that the breach was not noticed earlier in the meeting.

The chairman said that Mr Wellwood had stated after the third race on the second day that he would not judge without an assistant, and he had declined to act further. If Ohristdhurch did not know the rules, that was nothing to them. The chairman said he did not desire to cast any reflection on anybody. Mr Wellwood was the soul of honour. If clubs in the north allowed judges to have assistant judges they were acting illegally. The argument really resolved itself into the point that a judge could himself appoint somebody else. "Did they ever hear such nonsense? " asked the chairman. When Mr Wellwood had left the box Mr J. Stevens had been appointed to the position. Mr Halliday said that Mr Wellwood had let the club down by leaving the box. Fortunately, a substitute had been available. He thought the matter should be reported to the Trotting Association.

The secretary said that the stipendiary steward would renort the case to the association. Mr Richardson moved that Mr J. Stevens be appointed judge for the remainder of the season, and the mon tion was carried unanimously. ~lt was decided to pay Mr Wellwood U-16ths of the remuneration payable to the judge and 5-16ths to Mr Stevens. The chairman said that the club was not legally bound to pay Mr Wellwood anything, as he had contracted to act for the meeting. Mr Halliday Apologises T he chairman said that the starter at the recent meeting (Mr A. J. Hastings) had complained to him immediately after the last race on the second day that a steward. Mr Halliday, had accused him of making a bad start. There had, said the chairman, apparently been some heat over the matter. His opinion was that no steward had the right to speak to a starter. If anybody had a complaint to make it should be made to the Judicial Committee.

Mr Halliday said that he desired to make an explanation. He quite frankly admitted that he had spoken to Mr Hastings, and that he had no right to speak to him. .He did not, however, speak to him in any official capacity, and there was no heat whatever. He had not gone looking for Mr Hastings. He had gone into the birdcage and had held Fremont's head, and as he was coming away with the horse's number he had passed Mr Hastings. He was standing with Mr Beer, the stipendiary steward. He had said to Mr Hastings that it was a awful start, and he had fully expected Mr Hastings to agree with him. 'Because it was a frightful start. Mr

Hastings had replied that he could not drive the horses—he was only the starter. Mr Halliday said he had to confess that he had done something he had no right to do, but it was not done with any malice or bitterness, and he was quite prepared to apologise. The chairman said he know that Mr Hastings felt what had occurred very much indeed. This was the first occasion on which his starting had been called in question in Dunedin. The 'best of starters would find a difficulty in making a start in some race or other during his career as a starter. They would, however, have to go a long way .to get as, good a man as Mr Hastings. Mr Halliday said that he would agree with that. In this instance, however, Worthy Need, on the rails, had his head under the next horse to him— Fremont, the favourite—and he kept on putting it there. Mr Halliday said that he had not made the complaint because he had backed Fremont. When the horses started Worthy Need came across Fremont, and those who had backed him had no chance of being on a winner. It had been Mr Hastings's fault. Worthy Need should have been put on the outside, the same as Quest had been. The horse which had stood the quietest at the barrier was Fremont. Mr Halliday reiterated that it was a purely friendly remark he had made to Mr Hastings. Mr Jolly said he agreed with what Mr Halliday had said about the race. Worthy Need was the cause of the whole trouble.

The chairman: Well, that is not quite satisfactory. Do we say that we have still the greatest confidence in Mr Hastings? • Members: Yes. Mr Halliday explained that he had no idea that Mr Hastings had been " peeved " at what he had said, otherwise he would have remained in the precincts of me committee room. At the first opportunity he intended .to apologise to Mr Hastings, and tell him that he had no intention of malice. ,