SOUTH CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13937, 24 June 1909, Page 2

SOUTH CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB.

To the Editor of the "Timaru Herald." Sir, —Having taken a good deal of interest in the matter of racing for some twenty years past, and being a constant visitor to the local racecourse, I ihould like, through the medium of your columns, to endorse a good deal ot Ail Honey's criticism at the annual meeting of the above club. This notwithstanding the self-satisfied reply of the secretary, with his sneers about meeting the bills ,etc. To my mind the difference between Mr Howey aml Mr Eraser is the fact that the former was ,peaking from experience that he has had to pay for, and the latter <«■ s speaking from information secured sec-ond-hand. To fiuotc Mr Ginger's opinion, to my way of thinking it is simply tommy rot. At the most, lie is uu'\ on the track two days in the year and he is therefore not in a position to speak from experience: and as to Mr Trilford's being well satisfied, I do not think that is in accordance with wis expressions to other people, and 1 have known him to be working his Ir -rur-s nil the road in the summer-ti; , w in preference to the training track, -'.••t but on many occasions, and in the winter time, I have known the track to be iu such a state that it was sini'il>' impossible to carry out any sort of tr-iii-.ng operations, and oil the plough by the entrance rails, I've seen the hor«vs sink in the mud a foot for days aftor a rain, and this 011 "one of the best training tracks 'in the Dominion.'*' I do not attribute this statu of nrfairs to any neglect 011 the part of MlO caretaker. Far ; from it, 1 believe iie does well with the material he has nrorided for him. What ire do want is to let the caretaker give up horse training, pay him a decent wage, say £'J()( 1 a jcar, field drain the lower portion of the course to take off the surplus water in the winter, put the course in proper order, provide a proper water supply and cart, and let him devote the whole of his time to the service of the club. One would then find whether owners, with three and four horses in training would send them to Christchurch to be attended to. At present they are doing so. Re Mr Frier's reply rc nomination fees, let 1110 give an example. During the Duneiiin races the entrances for VVaimate came due. Some half dozen trainers and owners were waiting for their conveyance to go out to the course, when they were approached by a steward of tlio Wainiate Club and asked not to forgot- tlieni. Quick came the reply, "No chance. We cannot touch bouth Canterbury Clubs, tiieir nomination fees are too high, we don't mind paying a small fee to see our handicap, but we cannot reckon for a certainty that our horses will keep fit (tor weeks before the races) for a £oU race." It costs 20s to nominate in Timaru and for the N.Z. Cup, Great Easter, and other big races, it also costs £l.. What .a diuerence! In most of-the clubs in. New Zealand the.average amount -necessary to start in their races is 20s for every £o(J worth of prize money; but locally it is 20s for every £4O, and in many cases 20s for less prize money. These are Mr -Eraser's "trifles,"', which to a man that does not spend a shilling 011 a iiorse is not much, but to a man making a living by racing, it means a-good .deal, and more so when we consider tlie fact that to pay his way a iiorse has got to win £3OO a year. How many are doing this in Canterbury"

In summing up the causes for the failure of our cup meetings, I believe there are several factors which operate agaiust it. In the first place we have very few local horses trained here; secondly our nomination and acceptance fees are too high for the prize money offered; thirdly, the date of the meeting wants to be altered to, say, the second week in May, so that horses coming from Christchurch could go 011 to the North Otago meeting, and then go 011 to Dunedin. At this time of the year our course is at its best, and with owners looking for oats for the winter, they are not afraid of breaking their horse down. We have an ideal spot for a course, both flat and steeplechase, and once wc can strike the right thing, sport in the shape of horso-Tac-ing will progress in Timaru. Thanking you in anticipation.—l am, etc., "AN OWNER."