Export Prices Too High

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30953, 8 January 1966, Page 3

Export Prices Too High

“The Press’* Special Service AUCKLAND. A measure of the effect of Cardigan Bay’s outstanding success in the United States on the export value placed by New Zealand trotting men on their horses is given by prices being quoted to Mr Noel Simpson.

Mr Simpson is back in Auckland after spending most of last year directing operations at the Prestatyn night trot-

ting track in Wales, and has been commissioned by several American owners to buy horses suitable for good-class racing. “I am finding it extremely difficult to do business,” he said yesterday. “The owners want considerably more than the Americans are prepared to pay—especially as not one of the three on offer has gone faster than 2min for a mile.” The sort of money wanted? Glenurquhart is available for £lO,OOO. The last New Zealand Trotting Cup winner, Garry Dillon, is quoted at £20,000 and Tactile at £30,000. “I had not seen these horses race for some time. So I was unable to say how fast they could pace a mile.

“Accordingly, I hardly felt I could advise them strongly to buy. But 1 quoted the prices anyway. So far, I have been unable to do any business.

“Not surprisingly, people in the United States are not prepared to accept that good New Zealand pacers are the equal of Cardigan Bay. “Before being sold to America, Cardigan Bay had a mile record of Imin 56 l-ssec. The time for a mile —that is the yardstick. “1 do not doubt that there are pacers in New Zealand that can better 2min but, to pay big prices, Americans want some son of proof. More Mile Races “What would help to increase the American market considerably would be more mile races here for the bestclass horses. “Orbiter’s performance in going lmin 58 4-ssec in the Flying Mile at Cambridge on Wednesday was a gem, and the race was a great drawcard. Now that the mobile barrier is, apparently, here to stay, I

believe it would be a great thing for trotting to have more flying miles.” Mr Simpson is certain that there is good business offering in the export of horses to America but buyers, although they do not mind paying prices well above the local value, will not give huge sums for horses which have not shown they can better 2rnin for the mile. He cited the former New Zealand pacer Oreti as an example of a horse which proved himself. Oreti was sent to America and recorded aboiut Imin 58sec. “The Americans would readily pay 50,000 dollars for him. Even if a horse can pace better than 2min it does not necessarily mean he is worth 50,000 dollars. At the last Harrisburg Sales, the biggest in America, some horses with sub-2min records brought much less than that,” he said.