SPARE PART CASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26773, 17 May 1948, Page 2

SPARE PART CASE

INQUIRY INTO OWNERSHIP COMMITTEE’S FINDING p.a. Wellington, May 16. Spare Part’s win in the Wellington Cup at the Wellington Racing Club’s summer meeting at Trentham in January was followed by a meeting of the Judicial Committee on the third day of the meeting. An inquiry was opened by reason of information submitted to the committee by the racecourse inspector, Mr R. G. Black, and was held pursuant to the provisions of Rule 213 (1) particularly to sub-sections (D) and (F). Rule 213 deals with the functions of the Judicial Committee, and sub-section (D) covers all questions of qualification of persons and horses. When the summer meeting was concluded. the chairman of the Judicial Committee. Mr H. H. Green, informed representatives of the press that he had no statement to make in reply to inquiries about an investigation into the ownership of the Cup winner. It was learned, however, that Mr H. O. Batchelor, the owner, had made a statutory declaration affirming that he was the sole owner of Spare Part. In tile meantime, payment of the winning stake for the Wellington Cup was withheld by the Wellington Racing Club. A further hearing of the inquiry by the Judicial Committee of the Wellington Racing Club was held in Wellington this week and the following statement was issued to-night:—

“on the evidence available to the committee we find that there is no interest held in the horse Spare Part other than that of the owner, 11. O. Batchelor, and we authorise the payment of the stakes. C. 11. Cook failed to attend the meeting, and sent a telegram stating that he was not prepared to support the allegation that he held an unregistered interest in Spare Part. The committee’s decision is that C 11. Cook be lined the sum of £SO under Rule 214 and also under Rule 88 to suspend Cook’s training licence for the remainder of the season.”