TAXATION ILLS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20632, 5 June 1935, Page 12

TAXATION ILLS.

N.Z. Racing Robbed of its Drawing Cards.

CHAMPIONS BRING CROWDS. Of the various ways in which the excessive t/ixation of racing injures the sport in, New Zealand, one of the most serious, .‘is the dimensions# attained by the m;/ ;ration of New Zealand racing men ajtf.d horses across the Tasman. The/e is occasionally a tendency to confute this migration with the export of New Zealand thoroughbred bloodstock. Nothing but good can come of the grorvth of the real export trade. In recent years Australian btwers have

“ r rj ade ” the annual yearling sales at Tnantham. The visitors have bought freely and are not stopped by a que«tion of price. It must not be overlooked, however, 1 hat if New Zealand racing is allowed *to languish almost unto death the breeding industry in the Dominion must sharS its fate. The Australians buy the majority of the higher priced lots, but that is not sufficient for the breeder. The bulk of the catalogue has to find buyers, and the more sick becomes the sport the worse will be the prices. Off They Go. By the migration of New Zealand horses to Australia, the racing man means something quite different from the sale for export of thoroughbreds. If a performer in New Zealand these days shows form above the average, it is at least an even money wager that he will be taken to Australia to race. Riccarton possessed three horses above the average at the beginning of the current season. Nightly made one public appearance at Riccarton during the term. Silver Ring has not raced in Christchurch this season. Vintage was seen at Riccarton in August and November. He went to Melbourne in the autumn, and if all goes well with him he will return to Australia in the coming spring. This is an experience common to all leading New Zealand centres. The result is that racing in the Dominion is constantly being denuded of drawing cards. All Sports the Same. In any sport it is the stars that make the gates. A Bradman in cricket, a Crawford or a Perry in tennis, an A. E. Cooke in Rugger—in fact to any sport you like to think of it applies. In this respect trotting in New Zealand is much better off than galloping. The light harness sport in Australia only struggles along, and there is noth ing in trotting stakes in Sydney or Melbourne to attract the best class of horse away from Addington. The late Earl Biggars made Charlie Chan say, “ When a man reaches pinnacle, there is no place to step but off.” South of the line the place for an Indianapolis or a Harold Logan *s New Zealand. Yet, even with all our own trotting stars, the advent of Walla Walla last year showed that the clash of champions will enormously increase attend* ances. Where the Difference Is. New Zealand gallopers have been making the Tasman trip for decades, but as a rule in the past their stay in Australia was limited. Year after year Gloaming raced in Sydney in the spring, but only once did he go on to Melbourne. On the other occasions he came back to race here. The meeting of Eurvthmic and Beauford in the autumn of 1922 drew a re--cord crowd to Randwick. The series of clashes between Gloaming and Beauford in the spring of 1923 brought huge attendances to Randwick and Rosehill. What Phar Lap Did. Australian racing men have amused themselves from time to time by trying to estimate, even vaguely, how much the appearances of Phar Lap in his three Melbourne Cups were worth to the Victoria Racing Club. Golden Miller, though he failed in the race himself, did a mighty good turn in March to the executive which controls the Aintree course. There was the greatest attendance on record for a Grand National, and Golden Miller was the draw.

When the Santa Anita Club in California decided to run a £20,000 race last February it sought star performers from the Eastern States, from England, from Europe and from Australia. It was only partially successful, but undaunted it intends to have another try next year with an even bigger prize. It is not always the idea of superior betting facilities and opportunities that lures our better performers across the seas. The prize money offering in Sydney and Melbourne is attraction enough for many New Zealanders. Bled almost white by taxation. New Zealand clubs can no longer compete with Melbourne and Sydney clubs in regard to stakes. They cannot hold their own stars, and without these they fail to attract the larger attendances swelled by those people who want to see champions.

And this is only one disservice -which an ill-advised and greedy policy of racing taxation is doing to the sport.

DISTRICT COMMITTEE.

The Canterbury District Committee held its meeting yesterday. The following programmes were approved: Waimate District Hunt Point to Point meeting, Tune 13; Ashburton County Racing Club, June 22; Christchurch Hunt (Ashburton Branch), Point to Point meeting, July 6; Waimate District Hunt, July 25; Canterbury Jockey Club, August 13, 15, 17. The following delegates have been elected bj'- the district clubs to the Canterbury District Committee for the next two years:—Messrs G. 11. Grigg, F. 11. Comage, A. S. Elworthy, E. B. Newton and W. F. Parkinson. The Canterbury Jockey Club will be represented by Messrs G. Fulton, G. Gould, H. A. Knight, G. L. Rutherford and D. E. Wanklyn.

The following transfers were approved by the committee of the Canterbur> Jockey Club yesterday: Kia Ora, two year-old filly by Vaals—Some Lady Mrs K. E. Kane to G. E. Harding; Para keet, two-year-old filly by Iliad —Tor trix, A. B. Williams to A. F. M. Symes

RACING FIXTURES. June S—Foxton R.C. June 13, 15—Hawke’s Bay J.C. June 15—South Canterbury J.C. June 20. 22—NapieJ* Park R.C. June 22—Ashburton R.C. June 29—Oamaru J.C. June 29—Uevin R.C. July 3—Dannevirke H.C. July 9. 11. 13 —Wellington R.C.

TROTTING FIXTURES. June B—Ashburton T.C. June 15—South Canterbury J.C. June 22, 26—Auckland T.C. June 22—Ashburton County H.C.