APPROPRIATION OF RACING DATES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2635, 20 September 1923, Page 3

APPROPRIATION OF RACING DATES.

THE WANGANUI TROTTING CLUB’S RAIDING POLICY. (By “Geraint”). The Wanganui Trotting Club has recently stated its intention of holding a trotting meeting at Wanganui on January 19th and 22nd. For 50 years past these dates have been held by the Foxton Racing Club, which celebrated its Jubilee meeting in January 1923. If the, Wanganui Trotting Club is not prevented by its controlling body, the N.Z. Trotting Conference, its act will constitute a direct and flagrant violation of the principle relating to the adjustment and rights of racing dates without parallel in the history of N.Z. racing. At various times in the past clubs in their search for suitable dates have sought to hold meetings in too close proximity to dates held by other clubs, in adjacent racing areas, but these matters have always been satisfactorily adjusted by the controlling authorities whether racing or trotting. In this case the Wanganui Trotting Club with a total disregard for the half century’s right of the Foxton Club, and with an utter absence of the sporting principles supposed to be inherent in all those who seek to direct and assist in the prosecution of what has been termed the national sport, seeks to deliberately appropriate the dates of a club within its own racing district and only fifty miles away. 'As stated previously, the contemplated action is without parallel in the Dominion and cannot fail to meet with the opprobrium and condemnation it deserves since it becomes at once apparent to those controlling the destinies of other clubs that if the precedent sought to be created in this case is allowed no club, except, of course, the powerful metropolitan clubs, will be safe from the invasion of a club seeking for dates that are more suitable than they already possess and, if it happens to lie a general holiday as in this case, so much the better for the club, minus the honourable principle. It is a poor sport that seeks to prosper by an infringement of the rights of another club and equally so if is a poor and ragged principle that prompts such an infringement.

Going directly to the central feature of the ease it may be stated that directly the Foxton Racing Clnb saw bv a chance paragraph in a newspnp t (the Trotting Club did not deem it necessary to apprise the club of its piratical intention but left it to find out) of the appropriation of its dates,, protests were immediately made to the N.Z. Racing and Trotting (Inferences, to the Minister for Internal Affairs, to the. Wanganui Jockey Club, the Metropolitan Racing body of the district and to the Trotting Club involved. In its letter to the Wanganui Jockey Club, the Foxton Club brought officially before the metropolitan body the contemplated violation of the principle affecting racing dates that was taking place in its own district and asked for its influence in the matter. So far the Wanganui Jockey Club has not replied to the representations made to it by the Foxton Club but it will be pressed to take up either one position or the other. So that it may not be said that I am presenting only one side of the case I append herewith the full replv of the Wanganui Trotting Club to the Foxton Club:— “Secretary, Foxton Racing Club, Dear Sir, —i am in receipt of your letter of 28th inst., which was considered by my Committee yesterday. To begin with they are of the opinion that your fears that our meeting would affect your attendance are without foundation. Only a few car loads from Wanganui attend your meeting each year, and as they are no doubt galloping enthusiasts they will still go to Foxton. I'or our own meeting we rely entirely on Wanganui town for support, and we will not draw any of your supporters from down the line. My Committee do not, for one moment consider that we will clash with you and think you have no cause for alarm. Perhaps it would remove any suspicion of poaching from your minds if I tell you our reasons for selecting 22nd January. As you are no doubt aware we previously held our meeting in February, at the same time as the gallops. In doing this we have always clashed with the Otahuhu Trotting Club’s fixture and we have always found ourselves in difficulties with the dates committee of the Conference. Moreover our entries were seriously affected by reason that the Otahuhu Glut), with its larger stakes, attracted the horses. Consequently we got no nominations from Auckland. This year we decided to make an alteration, and as the Wellington Club had applied for January 12th, and Manawatu for January 10 th, we could not miss the opportunity of attaching ourselves to this circuit and applied for January 19th, and 22nd. Besides giving us the advantage of the circuit we were securing a public holiday with no other attraction in Wanganui. Our Club is in a desperate position financially, being only kept in existence by a joint and several guarantee of over - ? £9,000 by a few members, and out of fairness to these gentlemen we must make every post a winning post. By the change of dates we hope to retrieve our position a little but even then we cannot carry on for long, unless we receive a further permit. Considering all these circumstances, I trust your committee will see that we had a very good reason for our selection of dates and we feel certain that it will not make the slightest difference to your meeting. —Yours faithfully ( Signed) W. M. Falconer, Secretary.”

THE WANGANUI TROTTING CLUB’S RAIDING POLICY.

Boiled down, it will lie noticed that the letter does not pretend that they have any claim upon the 22nd. They simply take it because it is a holiday and they think it will suit them. The further reasons given are the clash with Otnhuhu,, their desire to maintain a circuit, even at the expense of another club and finally their heavy financial obligations. Since the trotting club does not set up any claim to the day nothing need be said upon that point and T will refer to the others. First and foremost the Foxton Club considers that not one of the reasons advanced affect the position in any degree; they are internal reasons advanced by the Trotting Club in the endeavour to justify their action. How does it concern Foxton if Wanganui clashes with Otnhuhu? That body is 200 miles away from Wanganui and to avoid clashing with them the Trotting Club proposes to clash with a. club in its own racing district and only 50 or 60 miles away. I will use their own argument contained in a letter sent to the N.Z. Racing Conference. “Surely there are enough people in the district to make both meetings a success.” If there are enough people in the district to make both meetings a success, even if thev do clash with Foxton, then it surely follows there are enough people in the Wanganui district to make their district a success even if they do clash with Otahulm. If, as they say, the Wanganui Trotting Club has felt the effects adversely of the clash with Otahulm, how can they turn turtle and argue that Foxton will not feel the effects of the clash with Wanganui. Any fair minded person, not bent on purloining a public holiday, will see that the contention that the clash will not harm Foxton is ridiculous and will not hold water for a second. At the present time there is no racing in the Wanganui Racing district on January 22nd., except at Foxton. Consequently anyone from Wanganui south to Foxton lias to go to Foxton for his racing. Tf the Wanganui Trotting Club is permitted to race on the 22nd, tlie interest in the Foxton meeting will be halved immediately, racegoers will have the choice of two instead of one meeting and vet they are suffieionllv childish to tell us that it will not draw any of our supporters. Passing on to (lie desire to maintain a circuit ii is, of course, rpiitc apparent that it will be-to their advantage to do so, but it does not. provide a reason nor justify them in encroaching upon Ibc rights of the Foxton Club. Foxton has nothing to do with a trotting circuit but it assuredly lias a lot to do with an attempt to poach its racing dates. Now, in addition, has tlie apparent fact that the Wanganui Trotting Cluli is in a parlous position financially anything to do with Foxton? We are sorry hut we cannot help it, neither do we intend, if possible, to be butchered to make a Wanganui holiday. Tn tlie opinion of most people, the crux of the whole situation lies in flie candid admission of the Wanganui Club as follows: —“Our club is in a desperate position financially, being only kept in position by a joint and several guarantee of over £O,OOO bv a few members and out of fairness to these members we must make every nost a winning post.” There you have the whole selfish and selfseeking position in a few lines. The Trotting Club is in a sorry mess financially and to save themselves they clutch at the nearest desirable straw, even though it does belong lo someone else; one would think it better to go out of trotting altogether than to seek to maintain it at the expense of another club. By the way, the present raid is not the only one the same trotting eluli has been guilty of if T remember aright. Tt seems to me that on one occasion they also trotted on Easter Monday, a date sacred to the Feilding Club for many years.

As stated previously, the Foxton Club has represented (lie matter to all the bodies concerned. Tt is intended unless there is an alteration in dates in Wanganui, to wait personally upon the Minister for Internal Affairs and also to place the whole matter before individual mem: hers of the House and also before the whole of the sporting institutions of the Dominion. In the near future it is quite probable that there will be an amendment of the Gaming Act in the direction of allotting more permits, including twenty fresh trotting permits. Racing people are commencing to wonder in the light of the raid by the Wanganui Club if the recipients of these trotting permits, if and when granted, will carry out similar poaching on the dates of established racing clubs and if so where.is it all going to end. It certainly seems as though no club’s dates would be safe, more especially as the Wanganui Club points out: “We have always clashed with Otahuhu and we have always found ourselves in difficulties with the Dates Committee of the Conference.” The Dales Committee of the Trotting Conference objected to Wanganui clashing with Otahuhu, but it does not mind a bit if it clashes with Eoxton, otherwise it would not have allotted the dates claimed by Wanganui. Yet some people think and will even tell you that one of the primary reasons for the existence of the two controlling authorities is to preserve to clubs the dates they hold.