FRANKLIN CLUB

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1043, 6 August 1930, Page 12

FRANKLIN CLUB

PROFIT ON FIXTURE ELECTION OF OFFICERS The eleventh annual meeting of members of the Franklin Racing Club was held at Pukekobe on Alonday, the president, Air. Dynes Fulton, presiding. There was an attendance of about 70 members. In his report for the past year the president stated that the club’s annual race meeting in Aiarch had proved very successful, the attendance being a record, and the receipts showed a profit to the club over expenditure. During the year the club had effected further substantial permanent improvements to the racecourse property. Owing to the present financial position in New Zealand and the fact that the club did not know when a permit to enable it to hold a tw'o-day race meeting again would be available, it was essential that it should conserve its resources as far as possible. Building Up Resources The executive had had before it the question of erecting a grandstand at the course, but it had been decided that it would be necessary to build up the resources before the work could be put in hand. The club’s property was now also used as the l’ukekohe Golf Club’s links. The president said the appointment of a new secretary wduld be dealt with at the next meeting of the executive. The officers for the ensuing year arc as follow:—President, Air. Dynes Fulton; vice-president, Air. A. H. Tapper; treasurer, Mr. A. F. Brown; executive members, Messrs. E. Al. Armstrong, H. Barnaby, J. Beatty, R. VV Bilkey, G. Carter, S. J. Clews, W. T. Dazeley, R. Fulton, A. C. Gill, T. Hancock, F. A. Hosking, A. Jones, E. 11. Keating. J. Kennedy, E. J. Morrison, F. J. Morrow, E. Aluir, F. J. Parker, G. T. Proude, J. J. Reynolds, P. Short, W. J. Taylor, and C. E. Walter.

TARANAKI’S YEAR A SMALL PROFIT EFFECTS OF BAD WEATHER A gross profit of £92, compared with £1,117 last year, was shown in the report presented to the annual meeting of the Taranaki Jockey Club. After writing off depreciation on plant the net profit was £47. The shrinkage in profits was largely due to lower totalisator revenue and gate receipts on the occasion of the second day’s races at Christmas, brought about principally by wet weather. Alterations and additions to the stewards’ stand and totalisator house had been carried out as the first instalment of a comprehensive scheme having as its objective the building of a new race track and rearrangement of present buildings, with eventually a new main stand. The committee had unanimously ag.»ed that owing to the financial position of racing, the time was not opportune to proceed further with this big work. Improving the Track It was suggested that some alteration to the present track was necessary to conform with immediate requirements. The club’s engineers submitted a plan having for its object the improvement of the turn out of the straight and that opposite the High School, at an estimated cost of £4JO This work was authorised and was nearly finished. The first-mentioned would have a radius of eight chains and the other seven chains. The president, Mr. L. A. Nolan, said members would have noticed that the club’s dates for the February meeting had been moved on a week. This, he thought, would help them materially. Tho Egmont Club raced on February 5 and 7. and they followed on February 12 and 14. There was a move on the part of Wanganui, he believed, to try to persuade Egmont to allow Wanganui to race on February 5 and 7, and Egmont to race a week after New Plymouth, but nothing definite was as yet decided in this connection. Mr. Nolan was re-elected president.

LOST CHANCES POOR POLICY FOLLOWED' SOUTHERN CASES CITED No handicapper would dare to raise a horse’s weight by a stone and a-half for winning a £6O hack race, but owners or trainers do it quite often, says a Southern writer. The latest instance occurred at the Hunt meeting. Sweet Refrain was in receipt of 131 b from Fair Money when she won the Levels Handicap. At Waimate, Fair Money received 121 b and a beating from First Raid. Assuming that First Raid was only 151 b better than Fair Money, it meant that in the Levels Hack, Sweet Refrain was assessed at the equivalent of 281 b below First Raid. In the Claremont Handicap, an open race, First Raid was 91b above the minimum, and Sweet Refrain took him on at a difference of 91b. In effect, she was rehandicapped 191 b by her own people when they elected to start her in the open race, and she made matters worse by running second in a big field. Running hacks in open company before the necessity arises is bad business. Might Have Won Two More The improvement Sweet Refrain demonstrated in her second run would have won a couple of races in the hack class. There was another striking case of the kind in Southland this season At Invercargill, Mr. H. A. Price put over 211 b between Blue Metal and Jack a’ Dandy in a hack race. Both were entered also in the open sprint, both near the minimum, and Jack a’ Dandy gave away 211 b to come into the class. Both hacks started in the open race, and at level weights Jack a’ Dapdy ran Blue Metal to half a length for second money >, On the second day, again in the open sprint, Jack a’ - Dandy beat Blue Meta! at a difference of 21b. At that time Jack a’ Dandy had won only t\Vo minor hack races, and if he had been kept in that class he could have won two or three stakes and been no higher in the weights than he is now.