A 41-DAY RACE MEETING

Southland Times, Issue 23931, 25 September 1939, Page 10

A 41-DAY RACE MEETING

£1,500,000 PAID IN TAXATION NEW ZEALAND VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS “They now hold a 41-day race meeting in Los Angeles, which, I suppose, is unique in racing in the world, said Mr J. R. McKenzie, Christchurch business man and owner of trotters and racehorses, who has returned from abroad. ± . “On the racecourse at Santa Anna, about 15 miles out of Los Angeles, they race for 41 days—on every day of the week except Sundays and Mondays. It has become such a vogue that the business people of the city are protesting against it so far without success. “The club has a property consisting of 150 acres, with parking space for 22,000 cars. The manager of the club gets 100,000 dollars a year. There are 300 employees and the pay-roll amounts to 1,000,000 dollars a wdek. During the meeting, which extends over a month and a half in the summer, 9,000,000 dollars are paid in stakes. “There are lots of things we could learn from this modern course and club. Of course, the starting gates are used all over the United States; that is to say, each horse has its own compartment at the start, and cannot play up or interfere with any other horse. Moreover, they are all on the starting line; a horse cannot be left behind by reason of its position, unless it fails to start at all. And as soon as the horses are away the gates, which are on wheels, are pulled clear of the course. “ALWAYS' LEARNING” “We can also learn something from the Americans in grandstand placing. We always place our grandstands fairly near and parallel to the finishing straight, so that people looking up the straight are often in one another’s way, | and have to crane their necks to catch a glimpse of the oncoming horses. The Americans have seen the defect in such stands and erect them on an angle to .the straight, so that practically everyone in the stand can without any strain, see the whole of the finish of the race. This is an idea that is well worth looking into when new grandstands are being built. “Then there are other regulations applicable to racing that might be worth considering in New Zealand,”, said Mr McKenzie.

“For instance, the jockeys engaged in the meeting have to be in their room an hour and a-half before their first ride, and, save for their rides, must not leave that room till after their last engagement. That is a rule to prevent a jockey being ‘got at’ immediately before the race. Another rule with the Los Angeles Club is that horses engaged in the meeting must be in the bam an hour before their first engagement. That is to prevent the possibility of their being doped at the last moment. There is a 4 per cent, tax on the revenue of the club. This yielded 1,500,000 dollars at the last meeting.”