CURRENT TOPICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1122, 12 October 1911, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

An Enterprising and Far-seeing Club. During that unsettled period when our legislature was under the baneful domination of wowserism, and the sport of horse-racing had suspended over its head a veritable sword of Damocles, the Auckland Trotting Club took courage in both hands and determined to face the future with a confidence inspired by the belief that in the long run the influence of clean, honest sport would prevail, and rouse the sporting public of this country to take active steps to eradicate a virulent canker that bigoted kill-joys had planted in the minds of a susceptible and guillable section of the community by insidious misrepresentations. A Courageous Undertaking. While wowserism was at its flood the Auckland Trotting Club bought Alexandra Park and forthwith started to transform it into an up-to-date trotting course. It was a courageous undertaking. However, pluck will win out in every intelligent community, and the vogue of the spoil-sports will assuredly be smothered when com- . mon sense asserts itself. When that time arrives—and it is fast approaching—the A.T-C. will reap the reward its enterprise deserves. ft ft ft ft Awakening to the Dangers. The New Zealander is a long-suffer-ing and tolerant fellow, but when he realises he has been fooled, and his liberties . have been hedged round, he will stand up and make his presence ■ felt. Now that his national pride has at last awakened the New Zealander to the situation wowerism has drawn him into he can be depended on to support those stewards of racing and trotting clubs who are working valiantly in the face of big odds to defend his sport. » • 3 ♦ What the A.T.C. has Done. The fact that the Auckland Trotting Club has shouldered a liability of something like £25,000 to carry out the purchase and equipment of Alexandra Park, reflects every credit on the enterprise of the stewards, and shows in an unmistakable way the faith they have in the sporting instincts of Aucklanders. Of course, it may be said by the cynic that the public will have to pay in the long run for what the club has done. Perhaps so; but the cynic would do well to realise that a less courageous club would not have ventured on so ambitious an undertaking before they had drawn the gold from the public. * ft * ft The Wise Course Taken. If, however, the A.T.C- stewards had adopted that penny wise and pound foolish policy the public would have had to wait years to share the pleasure they will now be able to derive from trotting at Alexandra Park. And the point to be remembered is that the public will get their sport at no greater cost than they would have had to pay for it had the A.T.C. decided to continue holding their meetings on the old course and under the old conditions. , # sje A G;reat Transformation. Henceforth lovers of light-harness racing in Auckland —and their numbers' are increasing with astonishing rapidity—will be able to follow their sport under conditions never before possible <• in this island. The course and appointments at Alexandra Park have been transformed from a rough, uneven trotting ring with a cluster of ramshackle, crowded buildings, to what now is unquestionably the best graded and banked track in the Dominion —not even excepting the Metropolitan course in Christchurch —with modern appointments and spacious enclosures that, leave nothing to be desired. * « $ A No Further Room for Complaint. Never again can the public of Auckland, who in the past used to journey "to Potter’s Paddock, complain of the. inconvenience inseparable, from a crowded, cpnfortless course; because now there is a roomy grandstand capable of seating several

thousand spectators (each of whom can see the races for the entire circuit of the course), in addition to . stands for members, stewards, pressmen, officials and trainers; while the spacious grass enclosures will be such a boon that there will hence forth be no room for complaint that the place is “so hot and dusty.” Not least among the improvements at Alexandra Park are the splendid looseboxes, scraping stalls, totalistor houses, conveniences and offices that have been erected and fitted with such careful consideration for the convenience of all. * * * * Credit to Whom Credit is Due. Altogether the transformation has been carried out reflects the greatest credit to Mr. John Rowe, president of che club, who has been untiring in his zeal to make the course what it now is- He has given his time ungrudgingly, and the result of his almost daily supervision is evidenced in the way the smallest details have been attended to. To Mr. Rowe the generous thanks of Auckland sportsmen are due. ft * * — A Resourceful and Energetic Official. Mr. C. F. Mark also has been untiring in his exertions to put the A.T.C. in its present proud position of being the owner in fee simple of one of the finest trotting courses south of the line. During the worrying times that the negotiations were proceeding for the purchase of Alexandra Park the anxieties rested heavily on the genial secretary. But he never flinched, and it was largely due to his courage that the club boldly determined to secure to Auckland what will in a few years be a priceless asset that a syndicate of speculators threatened to wrest from the public. * # 514 :J4 It is up to the Public Now. Also to the stewards of the A.T.C., individually and collectively, great credit is due. It was only by their active co-operation, generous support and valuable assistance that the club now stands possessed of such a fine course. It is now for the public to show their appreciation for what has been done for them; and this they can best do by liberally patronising the sport that is to be provided at Alexandra Park next week. * ft ft ft The A.R.C. Summer Meeting. The nominations received last week for the Auckland Racing Club’s Cup meeting are in every way satisfactory. Despite a slight falling off numerically in the aggregate entries, the general standard of horses appearing in the lists show a decided improvement, including as they do the majority of the best horses in the Dominion. In the weight-for-age events excellent nominations have been received. The Islington Plate, of one mile, has attracted forty-four, while the Auckland Plate, of one mile and a-half, claims thirty-six probably contestants. Both these classical races carry with them a stake of 500sovs this season, and apparently owners regard them with more than usual covetousness, so that the enterprise of the A.R.C. in allocating the stakes in so generous a manner has met with the liberal appreciation on the part of owners it so thoroughly deserves. * « « 0 The Big Handicap Events. The Auckland Cup and Summer Handicap have neither attracted so many horses as last year, but there can be no question that the entrants are of much higher credentials than ever before nominated for these two big handicap events. It must also b e remembered that the actual numerical strength of the nominations received is a very poor criterion on which to base the probable popularity of the races. The racing public much prefer to see a race contested by horses of note than a field containing what in ordinary racing parlance are described as “roughies” and “squibs.”

The Reward of Eenterprise. For this reason the A.R.C. have no cause to complain of a slight falling off in the number of nominations received, while the Auckland public have every reason to congratulate themselves at the quality of horses that are likely to be attracted to Ellerslie for the summer meeting. It is particularly pleasing to note the ready response of Southern owners to the attractions the Auckland Racing Club’s progressive policy has provided. Everything points to the Northern province providing one of the best patronised and successful sporting gatherings yet held in the Dominion - ’tog the Christmas and New Year holidays.