TROTTING BOOMING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 25, 29 July 1939, Page 22

TROTTING BOOMING

POSITION IN AUCKLAND

The success achieved this season by the Auckland Trotting Club clearly illustrates the return to prosperity and popularity of trotting in Auckland. After writing £4846 off' the Alexandra Park assets, and £2380 12s 10d off the Otahuhu property and plant as depreciation, the club made a profit of £4090 0s 3d this season. During the year £23 350 was distributed in stakes, and £40.011 9s was paid to the Government by way of. taxation. "The totalisator turnover for eleven days' racing was £463,544, the largest for many years, and, although the returns for the August and April one-day meetings were below those of the corresponding fixtures the previous year, the increase for the twelve months over the 1937-38 period Was £106,811. The decreases in August and April were due to wet weather, but on the remaining nine days the investments soared in a marked degree. The turnover for the three days of the Summer Meeting was £189,846, compared with £125.661 the previous year, and £89,153 mThe increase»of £64,185 over last season's figures was a record for the club, and the total investments last December were the largest since 1927 (Ahuriri's Cup year), when £208,194 passed through the machine. The return in 1920 for, the Summer Meeting, after the first day's racing had been twice postponed, showed £ 190,642, and the following year when Man-o'-War won the Cup for the second time in succession, the investments totalled £213,108, which is the biggest amount ever handled at Epsom. That was the boom period with racing and trotting clubs. In 1922, the returns began to slump and in 1931 only £85,571 was invested on the totalisator, and for the four following years the income from the machine remained at a low level. In 1934, the club made a special effort at the Christmas Meeting with a Royal Gold Cup, the stake being £1250. and, while the race justified itself the totalisator did not benefit. Roi lOr won the event from Worthy Light, in the race record time of 4mm 15 2-ssgc In 1936 the corner was turned, and in the next year the club, in an ambitious move, set-the Cup limit at 4.25. and the race attracted the best horses in the Dominion. The investments for the meeting were £125,661. . Since then the club has made good progress, and the excess of assets over liabilities is now £80,392 2s Id. During the past twelve months £3668 3s 6d has been spent on repairs andraaintenance. Owners contributed £5424 in nomination and acceptance fees, and members contributed £1100 8s by way of subscriptions The receipts from the eates and stands were £9715 8s 6d, and the sale of privileges realised £1440 and the income from race-cards was £2555 19s lid.