The Clubman

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1492, 28 November 1918, Page 8

The Clubman

The action of the Health Authorities in different parts of New Zealand, acting under instructions from Dr. Frengley, deputy head of the Department, in calling a halt in racing in some parts of the Dominion where it was thought that the holding of meetings might be prejudicial to the health and efforts of the general community in trying to combat and get free from the ravages of the influenza epidemic, was undoubtedly in the right direction. No one can cpmplain of this, but what there are good grounds to complain about is the unreasonably long time that the clubs whose meetings were timed to take place this month and early in next month have been asked to keep the owners of horses waiting before bringing off their meetings. . The disorganisation of racing fixtures has been bad enough in the past, made so by war legislation. The cutting out of a lot of days of racing has been looked upon as a mistake ever since it was done. There has been little racing to speak of during the first five months of the season throughout New Zealand, a number of clubs not having held spring meetings since the curtailment was forced upon them. Thus horses kept going throughout the winter could not be placed to advantage without being travelled to different parts under very great difficulties. A good many came north for the. Avondale and Auckland spring meetings. The first of these meetings was got over successfully and with a good deal of profit to the club. It would have been a little larger but for the sudden development of influenza troubles amongst the community, which had the effect of reducing the attendance, just as might have been the case had the day been a very wet one. • * * * If the Auckland Racing Club’s meeting had been brought off on the Saturday following or three days later than the Avondale gathering there would have been a much smaller attendance than usual at Ellerslie and a smaller turnover at the totalisator, and altogether results not as favourable to the Auckland Racing Club, from a financial point of view, as the executive had reason to build upon when framing the programme. The financial side is important alike to the club as to the owners of horses, more so, however, in this case to the owners, local and visiting, the latter being at a heavy expense. There was, however, another consideration. The Auckland Racing Club committee had intended to get the meeting over on the due date, but the Health Department, more in touch with the true position — the extent to which the insidious disease had taken hold in our midst — on making representations to the executive heads of the A.R.C. found them ready to agree to a postponement. Not only was this so, but they were ready to alleviate, as far as lay in their power, the heavy demands which the spreading disease had made upon the hospital and convalescent resources of the city and suburbs, by offering the use of the stands, kitchen and dining conveniences for accommodating a large number of convalescent patients. This offer was readily accepted, and the members’ stand has been reserved for children. Beds have been provided, one firm, it is understood, having donated 60, and the first patients arrived on Friday and Saturday. The enclosures, which include the large and beautiful saddling paddock, a lovely spot, the birdcage, lawns in front of and behind the stands are completely reserved for the patients and their attendants. In addition, the club have donated £5O towards the relief funds. All this goes to show that the club’s executive have risen to the occasion and turned to useful account the required part of the greatest racing domain in New Zealand, for which they will receive every credit. • ♦ • • The Auckland Racing Club is having a somewhat similar experience to that of other clubs in New Zealand soon after the war started. The Trentham racecourse buildings of the Wellington Racing Club, the Awa-

puni racecourse buildings of the Manawatu Racing Club, and those of other clubs in different parts of New Zealand were used to house sick soldiers. That of the Auckland Racing Club at Ellerslie is to be used for the civilian sick and needy who require special attention. It is expected that their tenure will be brief, a matter of a few weeks at most, and that by the time the summer meetings roll round, when the stands and buildings will be wanted, they will be free again to the public for the purposes for which they were built. It will not be placing too great a strain upon the patience of healty racegoers to ask them to wait longer for the resumption of racing at headquarters. They can wait, but the owners of horses and those getting a living out of racing are being asked to make the greater sacrifice. They had responded to the invitation of the A.R.C. in nominations, acceptances and final payments in a manner never experienced by the club for a spring meeting before. Though racing is a fine sport we must not shut our eyes to the fact

that it is also a huge business, and as such should be treated with business methods, just as are other businesses when exceptional conditions arise. In the interests of health, hotel bars, hairdressing saloons and picture shows have been closed, and even some of the banking institutions. These are places where it is considered infection might spread, as in the post and telegraph offices and other places open for many hours a day and in some of them at night. An afternoon’s racing, lasting but a few hours, in such a locality as the Ellerslie racecourse or those at Avondals and Takapuna, one would imagine would be very welcome. As resorts for outings such as are afforded at intervals by these and other clubs they cannot be surpassed when the weather is good. Open air meetings in the sunlight are preferable to all other indoor amusements. We cannot say, of course, how long it may be before all traces of the influenza will have disappeared, but with favourable weather conditions there is every reason to suppose that racing could now be carried on without

serious consequences to anyone, and, indeed, with benefit to many. We hope that the Takapuna meeting will be brought off without unnecessary delay as soon as the Health Offier’s embargo is removed. ***•»* Having taken the nominations, declared the weights and then the acceptances for the handicap events and the forfeits for the classic races of their spring meeting, the Auckland Racing Club could in the ordinary course only have postponed from day to day, that is in the event of the weather being unfavourable or unforeseen circumstances occurring. There is no rule empowering any club, after arriving at such a stage, to abandon a meeting or vary the conditions under which it may be held at a subsequent date to that originally advertised. They may make any concessions they desire to disappointed owners, who, in consequence of a postponement, may not be able to carry out the programmes they anticipated. They are not bound to go so far as that, but they are bound to go on with a meeting once they

have taken the entries, unless they can satisfy the owners or obtain their consent to abandon it or extend the date of holding it to suit. In the cause of humanity, the Auckland Racing Club have committed themselves to giving up the use of their grounds to the Health Authorities, and consequently have departed from the precedent laid down in the rules and taken upon themselves to break contracts entered into with owners, believing that the circumstances warranted their action. On Thursday they held a special meeting, when the following resolutions were passed: “That the spring meeting be postponed on account of the influenza epidemic and the consequent embargo placed on race meetings; that the acceptances for the handicap races at the spring meeting be cancelled; that the horses eligible to take part in the Welcome Stakes and Great Northern Guineas be those for which the final payment has already been declared, subject to any owner at present represented in these races having the right to withdraw his horse on payment of £1 forfeit in-

stead of full subscription of £lO, such right of withdrawal to be exercised not later than general entry day for the summer meeting, 1918-18, December 6; that the horses eligible to run in the handicap events be confined to those already nominated; that application be made to the Minister for Internal Affairs to hold the spring meeting programme on Saturday, January 4, 1919, and if same be granted the weights for the handicap events to appear on Thursday morning, January 2, and acceptances to close by 12 noon on same day.” [The Minister of Internal Affairs have given his consent for the day’s racing to be held on the date selected.] .■>.• * * » The owners who the above arrangements suit can continue the engagements for their two and three-year-olds in the classic races or let them drop out by paying the sum of Isov on or before December 6. There are some who will be glad enough to discontinue, but others may have to do so very reluctantly, some through force of the altered circumstances, after bringing their horses from long distances at considerable expense. This is hard. Then with regard to the handicaps to be cancelled. Fresh handicaps are to be made, and it will be left to the owners to accept or reject the altered conditions. These are very much altered, seeing that those owners who allowed their horses to drop out, and had, therefore, no further interest in the meeting, are to be allowed to come in again on the same floor as the owners who paid up for their horses for the various events. This is quite unfair. If it is not, why not leave it open also to the owners of Welcome Stakes and Great Northern Guineas candidates that were not paid up for to have the same privilege. As the forfeits are not added to the stakes in these races the club has acted graciously in allowing any owners who paid up and who may now wish to withdraw to do so without having to pay more than lsov, the original nomination, instead of lOsovs, for which they became liable. The mistake the committee have made is in not allowing the final payments and acceptances to stand as they were. ' In differentiating between the horses paid up for in the classic races and those accepted for in the handicaps, that is closing the door against those that dropped out on the last payment in the one case and throwing it open in the other, they have taken what to many will appear an extraordinary course. It will be popular with those who, having allowed their horses to drop out of the handicaps, have had them reinstated. Such a position has never been brought about in the history of racing in the Dominion. It is without precedent so far as we know. We do not for a moment think that any of the unfortunate owners would be likely to cavil at rehandicapping their horses after form between now and January 4 has been noted, but we do know that there are some who think the handicaps should not include horses whose owneds let them drop out. With regard to the Great Northern Guineas and Welcome Stakes there are some owners who would be delighted had they been afforded the same privilege of paying up on December 6 as they had before when they declined. If it had been granted we can just imagine the howl there would have been now, as a few would have come in and overshadowed the rest. The A.R.C. committee have acted for the best, but we think it would have been in the interests of most people concerned if the meeting could have been brought off some weeks before the summer meeting, if not at Ellerslie at Takapuna, as horses need racing to bring them on for the bigger meeting,'and we are assured that it could be held with safety to the public health almost any time now, as there would not likely be a bigrush to attend it, nothing like half the crowd that will assemble at the bigger meeting into which the day is merged.