TROTTING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16822, 21 August 1920, Page 6

TROTTING.

W AIM ATE CLUB. OFFICIAL INQUIRY FINDINGS. SEVERAL OFFICIALS CENSORED. On Wednesday evening last the New Zealand Trotting Association held an inquiry into various matters connected with the Waunato i'iain s Trotting Club’s annual meeting on Easter Monday last .says the N .Z. Hetereo). The inquiry was conducted in committee, and the following are the official findings of the association : the association finds; (1; That a wolf-known performer (Galindo Belle) was nominated by her trainer, but the name was mutilated in transmission to “Cyahnda Bell,” and the mutilated name was transmitted to the handicapper, Mr. H. Brinkman, who handicapped it as a maiden, and she thereby got an advantago in the handicap, but the nomination was subsequently confirmed in writing, and the secretary then became aware of llie mistake in the* name, but did riot notify the committee or the handicappev of the mistake in the name, and “Galindo Belle” started in the Nornlanby Handicap with the initial advantugoipn the handicap of Beco. in a mile and a quarter. (2) That tlie starter stood with his back to the clock and facing the horses, and consequently could not seo when the clock started r and whether the horses got away to their proper hell. (3) That the starting was unsatisfactory, inasmuch as certain hersos got away before their proper handicap time without any action being taken. (-1) That the stipendiary steward drew the president’s attention to the bad starting on two occasions. (0) That dissatisfaction was expressed by a number of the riders on the starting generally. (6) That there was undue delay in starting the different races. . (7) That Mr. H. A. Jarden acted as re-handicapper, and at the instigation of the president altered the penalty of 4soc. imposed by him on Galindo Bello to 2sec. The' association resolves: (1) That the secretary (Mr. V. B. Stratton) committed an error of judgment in not consulting his committee and advising the handicapper immediately ho discovered that a mistake had been made in transmitting the name of “Galindo Belle.”i (2) That the starter should stand in a position enabling him to sec both the horses and clock, and in consequence of his not doing so ho was nob in a position to know whether a horse got away to his proper bell or not, and should ho start at any trotting meetings in the future he must occupy a position where he can see both the horses and the clock. (3) Tn view of the findings and of the very unsatisfactory evidence given by Mr. Preston (the president) the chib be notified that no further programmes of the club be passed whilst he is president or holds any other office in the club. (4) That Mr. H. A. Jarden, in allowing himself to he influenced by the president of the club in reconsidering the penalty inflicted by him,'was guilty of inexcusable weakness. (5) That the committee or stewards showed laxity in not properly appointing the ro-liandicapper, and their attention ho drawn to this fact. . (d) A copy of the foregoing resolutions ho sent to the Now Zealand Trotting Conference. . (7) That the chib pay the cost, amounting to £3B 9s 6d, of this inquiry.