Plea for A.R.C. to Revert to Old Spring Dates

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 746, 20 August 1929, Page 12

Plea for A.R.C. to Revert to Old Spring Dates

! A -well-known Southern owner, a I regular patron of meetings at Ellcrs- ' lie. in conversation with the writer recently, expressed regret that the j Auckland Racing Club continued to j adhere to the dafes early in October for its spring meeting, which were altered a couple of years ago from the first week in November, with a view to preventing a clash with the C.J.C. Xew Zealand Cup fixture, staged at the same time. The owner referred to contended that the sportsmanlike attitude of the A.R.C. in this direction had had an infinitesimal effect on the New Zealand Cup meeting, and that for this reason alone the Northern club would be quite justified in reverting to the November dates. Hard On Youngsters ! His real objection to racing at • Ellerslie early in October was on ac- | count of the state of the track, which the spring i*ain's generally thoroughly soaked, and because of tliis it was hardly fair to ask owners to race good two-year-olds —or indifferent youngj sters" for that matter —on going that was liable to be heavy. In November the weather was more settled. At the present time owners who would send their two-year-olds to Ellerslie for the spring fixture would not bother to send them on a month later to Riccarton. The same applied also to three-year-olds, and also to all but one or two perhaps of the handicap horses. When the Best Meet Furthermore, this sportsman maintained, the best performers of all dges were brought together at the Auckland summer fixture, and the meeting of the outstanding horses of North and South invested the gathering with an additional and purely sporting interest. Ho was fully appreciative of the spirit actuating the committee of the A.R.C. in the attitude it adopted in endeavouring to avoid a clashing with the New Zealand Cup meeting, to the probable detriment of the latter, but said that after the experience of the past two seasons he was quite sure that the change had proved of nothing more than a superficial benefit to the Canterbury Jockey Club. The Third Test. That was the case set out before “Early Bird” by this owner, who is in the racing game in a very big way, and I have merely put his side of the case as an example of the .view held by more than one owner. In the meantime, the A.R.C. has fixed upon October 5 and 7 for its next spring meeting, and this will serve as a further illustration as to whether the change of date will be beneficial 1o the C.J.C. The Riccarton fixture is a most important one, with its classics and old established handicap events, but if this meeting in November fails again to attract the leading classic and handicap performers seen out at Ellerslie a month earlier, then it will be opportune for the A.R.C. to review the question of its spring dates, a provision made when the local club first brought its meeting forward one month a couple of years ago. Prefer Australia. There is yet another factor that was not mentioned by the sportsman referred to. That was the ever-increas-ing- numbers of New Zealand horses making their way to New South Wales for the big spring racing carnival at' Rand wick, and the smaller fixtures staged so bandy to Sydney. By the. time the A..T.C. meeting opens at

Kandwick. on October 5. it is anticipated that there will be as many as 70 horses from New Zealand seeking honours on the Australian turf. This year that big Rand wick fixture commences on October o, which is also the opening day of the Auckland spring meeting. Now. our horses could race at Kandwick the four days and still have nearly three weeks here prior to the opening of the Ellerslie meeting were the old dates, early in November, adhered to. Obviously with so many of the best Dominion horses across the Tasman, the Auckland spring meeting is going to be seriously affected. True, there will probably be no dearth of runners, but the quality will not be represented. For instance, the two and three-year-old classics will suffer, for several horses of this age are on the other side. To mention a few. there are Xeddn. Honour and Ceremony, of the proved division, and numerous others who may not be quite up to that standard! But the trio mentioned would make a vast difference to the class of competitors in the Great Northern Guineas. Of the handicap performers, Aussie. Pagan ell i. Papatu. Bright Glow, Cimabue, Royal Duke, Concentrate, Oratrix, Nightmarch. Seatown are among those that would probably be at Ellerslie in November, but who are now awaiting the A.J.C. meeting. The presence of the horses named would make a world of difference to Ellerslie in the spring.