WELLINGTON RACING CLUB.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVIII, Issue 1020, 23 September 1909, Page 7

WELLINGTON RACING CLUB.

ANNUAL MEETING. The Wellington Racing Club held its annual meeting in the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. J. B. Harcourt, president, occupied the chair. About thirty members were present. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, outlined the financial position of the club. He thought the club had every reason to be satisfied with its removal from the Lower Hutt to Trentham, for since then its career had been one of uninterrupted success. In 1902 the club showed a loss in its results, and in its last year at the Lower Hutt (1905) it paid £10,250 in stakes, and the year’s results showed a profit of only £1342 Is. 7d. The previous year’s profit was only £917 2s. 9d. Last year at Trentham the club paid £17,170 in stakes, and had a credit balance of £3723 17s. 6d. In 1908 the credit was £6280 18s. Bd., but the club paid only £15,260 in stakes. The financial operations of the club ran into very considerable figures, as during the past year, in addition to stakes of £17,170, it had paid the Government by way of totalisator tax £2151 7s. 3d. During the year just closed the stewards decided to allocate a portion of the stake given in w.f.a. races to the breeder of the winner, and also to A. and P. societies, the latter’s portion to be given by way of additional prize-money for horse events, not necessarily thoroughbred. Since the institution of these conditions the club took entries for the Wellesley Stakes 1910, Wellington Stakes 1911, North Island Challenge Stakes 1911, and St. Leger Stakes 1912, and a very substantial increase in the number of entries had taken place. It was evident that breeders appreciated this innovation, the entries for these events being: Wellesley Stakes 124, Wellington Stakes 17, Challenge Stakes 175, St. Leger Stakes 131. These figures were largely in excess of anything hitherto achieved. The success which had atended the club’s efforts in recent years had induced the committee to place on the programme of the Spring Meeting a new w.f.a. race to be called The Champion Plate, distance one .and a-quarter miles, prize 550 sovs., including a silver cup. The desire of the stewards was to make the Wellington Racing Club the leading club for the Dominion, and he was confident that the day was not. far distant when that position would be attained. The report and balance-sheet were unanimously adopted. AN AMENDMENT LOST. Mr. Guy Johnston moved an amendment to rule 34, which compels members when voting for the election of officers to leave on their ballot papers “no more or no less ” names than there are vacancies to be filled. His amendment in effect was to make a vote invalid only when more names were left on the ballot paper than there were vacancies to be filled. The amendment, after discussion, was lost. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The election of officers resulted: — President, Mr. J. B. Harcourt; vicepresidents, Messrs. W. H. Sefton Moorhouse and John Wilkins; stewards, Messrs. J. W. Abbott, H. F. Johnston, G. W. McDonald, Neil McLean, D. J. Nathan, W. H. Turnbull, R. T. Turnbull, and J. G. Duncan; auditors, Messrs. E. W. P. Bucholz and S. C. Leary. VOTE OF THANKS. On the motion of Mr. J. Ames, a vote of thanks was accorded Mr. J. B. Harcourt for his handsome donation of a heavy silver cup, which is to go to the winner of the Champion Plate at the Spring Meeting.

The death is reported from Melbourne of Harry Dawes, generally known as “ Chifney.” He was a good jockey in his day, and amongst other wins rode Banker to victory in the Melbourne Cup of 1863. He also rode with success over the jumps. Recen+lv he was in rather low financial conditions, and was employed at Moonee Valley, but he was always cheerful and chatty. His son, the late H. J. Dawes, won the Melbourne Cup :>n Patron in 1894.