TROTTING HANDICAPS

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1930, Page 2

TROTTING HANDICAPS

OWNERS’ AND BREEDERS’ VIEWS. ; CHRISTCHURCH, Aug 13. Exception to the remarks of the president of the New Zealand Trotting Conference, held in Wellington recently, was voiced by Mr T. G. Fox, president of the Canterbury Owners’ and Breeders’ Association, at the annual reunion of that body last evening. “It is very seldom that I take.- exception to the remarks of an official,” said Mr Fox, “but I take very strong exception to the remarks or Mr John Rowe, president of the Auckland Trotting Club ,who presided over the New Zealand Trotting Conference. He stated that the present system of handicapping was a nightmare. That remark was most uncalled for. The system during the last twelve months has'been one of the greatest successes in the history of trotting. If Mr Rowe owned horses, it wpnuld not need a sledgehammer to drive him into our way of thinking. “The present system has come to stay. There may be slight improvements needed, but it is beyond me where they are to come from.” In proposing the toast of the New Zealand Association, Mr J. W. Trist also referred to the new system. Everybody was entitled to his own opinion, said Mr Trist, but at the .same time he thought that Mr Rowe would agree that the new system had much to commend it. It had been tried out for twelve months, and there had been very few complaints. The new system would not reach perfection in a year, but it had already proved that it had many advantages over the old system. Under the old system some wonderful horses bad been forced to retire to the paddock, as their handicaps bad made it impossible for them to be first past the post.