HOLIDAY TOTALISATOR FIGURES

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15241, 6 January 1943, Page 4

HOLIDAY TOTALISATOR FIGURES

OVER. A MILLION AND A QUARTER INVESTED. An increase of £306,095 10s in totalisator investments at racing and trotting fixtures throughout New Zealand over the holiday period just ended brought the total to £1,268,679, compared with 0962,583 10s in the Christmas and New Year period a year ayo. Of this total racing contributed £794.875 10s and trotting £473,803 10s ; and £566,420 10s, or about 44 per cent., was passed through the machines at Ellerslie and Epsom. A New Zealand one-day betting record was established at Ellerslie on Friday, when £185,600 was handled by the totalisator. It was nearly equalled on Boxng Day. The higher total was recorded this season in spite of there being fewer days of racing. There were considerable differences this Christmas arid New Year comwith last. Owing to wartime rearrangements, the total days of racing and trotting in, the holiday period were four fewer. The Taranaki Jockey Club’s meeting was held at Stratford instad of New Plymouth, the Oamaru meeting w r as not held, a two-day Manawatu fixture replaced the Hawke’s Bay meeting of last season, Southland was reduced to one day, and there was only two days’ racing at Ellerslie instead of four in the period. La trotting there were only two days at Epsom against three the previous season, tli© Westi>ort fixture was reduced to one day, and the, Win ton meeting was not held ; but one-day fixtures were arrangcu at Wellington and Ashburton that were, not held last year. Although there were fewer days of racing and trotting ths season, this was offset by the fact that the weather generally was excellent, whereas the previous Christmas one trotting and three racing meetings had to be postponed on account of storms, with an adverse effect on the later attendances.