RACING DATES CLASH

Southland Times, Issue 23852, 24 June 1939, Page 10

RACING DATES CLASH

Southland Summer Meeting

OBJECTION SENT TO CONFERENCE

“BEST INTERESTS OF RACING NOT SERVED”

For some seasons the Southland Racing Club has objected to the Oamaru Jockey Club being given permission to hold its summer meeting on the same date as the Southland Club’s fixture. This year the Southland Racing Club has applied for January 2 and 3 for its summer fixture and the Oamaru Club has applied for January 2. When the Southland Club protested about the clash of dates last year the Oamaru Club critcized the action of the Southland Club and considered that the protest was a frivolous one.

Again this year the Southland Club has sent forward an objection to the Racing Conference against the Oamaru Club being permitted to race on January 2. The arguments of the Southland Club are sound ones and it is evident that since the two meetings have clashed the Southland meeting has suffered. The financial returns of the summer meeting confirm this. GROUNDS FOR OBJECTION The Southland Club’s objection is made on the following grounds: (1) The Southland. Racing Club has raced/consistently on January 2 and 3 for over 30 years. (2) The fact that the executive committee of the New Zealand Racing Conference refused to grant the Gore Racing Club’s application to hold a race meeting on the same day in March 1939 as the Waimate Racing Club is clearly a frank admission by the members of the conference executive that had the Gore Racing Club been given the right to race on that day, it would have been detrimental to the success of the Waimate Club’s meeting. There can be no other reason, otherwise there would have been no necessity to refuse the Gore Club’s application. This being so, and the distances between Gore and Waimate being practically the same as between Oamaru and Invercargill, the committee of the Southland Racing Club can rightly claim that the granting of the New Year date to the Oamaru Club can similarly interfere with the success of this club’s summer meeting. This is becoming more evident each year. For many years the Southland Club’s summer meeting showed better results than the Riverton Racing Club’s meeting at Easter. However, since permission was granted to the Oamaru Club to race on the first day of this club’s meeting, the position has entirely altered and the Riverton meeting now has belter returns than are obtained by this club. (3) The best interests of racing in Otago and Southland are hot served by holding meetings at Invercargill and Oamaru on January 2. / . ; (4) Owners and trainers throughout Southland and Otago and the sport in general, suffer if the Southland Racing Club and the Oamaru Jockey Club race on the same date.

(5) Racing in Otago is very closely allied with racing in Southland, and the success of the sport in both provinces depends on the full co-operation of all clubs in both districts—as instanced by the Dunedin Jockey Club’s different meetings when Southland horses very materially contribute to their success.

. (6) Invercargill has no southern districts from which to draw horses, and is therefore compelled to rely entirely on Otago for outside support which is essential for the success of a metropolitan meeting. (7) Difficulty is experienced by owners and trainers in obtaining suitable’jockeys. “A METROPOLITAN BODY” (8) The Southland Racing Club is a metropolitan body and at one time held a meeting worthy of its position. The following figures will clearly demonstrate that the Oamaru Jockey Club’s New Year meeting has been responsible for bringing the Southland Racing Club down to the level of a good country club:—

A protest on the grounds outlined above is to be forwarded to the Racing Conference by the Southland Club.

J U J O P4 W c r 0 2 pi o o 5 3 S § S J S 5 o p tflE-i £ £ £ £ 1926 4750 8105 47,696 81,557 1927 4750 8105 50,604 74,842 1928 5000 6875 60,462 74,942 1929 5175 7680 53,648 59,437 1930 5175 7680 54,892 61,676 1931 4766 5885 40,628 46,595 1932 4450 4115 37,890 33,585 1933 3925 4050 37,782 34,500 1934 4260 4060 39,500 34,659 1935 4475 4060 45,948 41,895 1936 4845 4375 56,176 52,965 1937 5575 5150 66,318 63,740 1938 5880 5410 73,905 69,670 1939 6100 5715 86,053 71,849