SOUTH CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13940, 28 June 1909, Page 7

SOUTH CANTERBURY JOCKEY CLUB.

T- t!ie Eeltt-r rf the "Timarn Herald " Si r - —When 1 made the remarks at the meeting of the above Club re fees and training track. I did not think 1 'would be called upon to answer through vonr columns the views Mr . Fraser ta'kes on the situation. At "present I have no time f<r racing matters, more especially newspaper controversy. . , However, being an old timer, I cannr.t resist coming to the fore again with a fen- re—ark<-. Refore startin 'on Mr Eraser's lemarks I am sorry tn 7 hear the committee did not like the wav 1 exore=scd my views J did not mean anv offence to them for I beli, ve thev are doing the best they can as far as their ability goes in racing matters. Thev must have forgotten I asked them, "two years ago, to give more address, to owners and trainees, which was promised, and not attended to, although they have had the funds. There is a long obituary list of past owners and trainers, that have had to t'a.e the inevitable with empty pockets and broken down horses. Your renorter's interview with the secretary "I cannot let go without some comment. If you had sent him amongst the sporting people outside the committee he would soon find out wiry the club is not popular, and not oecunvin" a second rate position instead of fourth. I did not Quote at the meeting adjoining fourth or -hftn rate clubs, but asked him to try and get a second rate club. In clubs that have not a district like South Canterbury owners can start their horses • for 1 per "cent., and we should lead m good Samples, not follow bad ones. The cheapest race to start in here is the TimaVn Cup, £l6O for hrst horse v* £-5 In Cbristchurch a race tor £JOO first horse, is £3, and this is what 1 *honld like to see here, when the elnb is making money. 1 firmly believe 90 per cent, of owners lose monev keeping •the sport going, and I should like to know who is more entitled to any promts that are made. Mr Fraser savs the difference is very trifling. Let him try to ran only two Ss himself he will soon find out little trifles make a big muckle. ii only 20s on each race or £4 each meetfn<r y oftwo days, or £24 for six meetings, that might be a trifle to Mr Fraser, but to a majority of horse owners it is a big thing, it they have I think Mr Fraser's idea about racing is remote. He is an office secretary, not a sporting one otherwise he would not say what he has about the track. He quotes Mr Geisler and Mr Ellis, whom, he states, have spent a considerable time here training horses. I should like to know when. To bring horses a day before the race is not training them, ana they <*et the use of the course proper, which" nrivilege has been denied to local trainers, except about a day before a meeting. 1 have known trainers' hearts to be in their mouth when thev have given their horses a gallop on *the bit of grass track they are _ allowed on outside the course, expecting them to pull up lame; but they have had to do it, and S. Tnltord knows it too and in the summer the ploughed track becomes very dry and dustv, -►ml inst under the dust in places very hard "and stony, making it very bad for horses to gallop on. Re committee givirnr bill to meet i°--nilities - I know it well, but the present committee have not had to do that and if they have, not with the risk of old times, when the club was in a state of bankruptcy when thev were working on the same lines as th . • are now —too conservative —when that cosmopolitan body the Timarn Rne.ng Chib took them in hand and nut them on their Ip«ts. But »'«* . we }** r r. I" ?dd them (the Timarn Racing Club) to the above obituary list—all passed out. -I am, etc., y HOWEY. p.S.—Since I penned the above, 1 ree an owner has renlied to Mr Fraser. I hope others will also express their views.—J.H. Wilson street.. Timarn. .