COUNTRY CIRCUIT

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 147, 12 September 1927, Page 7

COUNTRY CIRCUIT

preparing cards WILL OWNERS WAKE UP? Practically all the country clubs have held their annual meetings and are now looking forward to their race fixtures. Each club has fortunately been able to report a cceeeful year and is anticipating various reforms in the new year, programmes will be a chief consideration and it order to enable the clubs to cat sr for the owners ,n the best interests of all, the latter should assist the clubs with reasonable suggestions. year the Te Aroha Club raced on January 22. clashing with the rioture of the Haw te’s Bay Club. These loplications of dates are undesirable ‘ sny time, and more so, when conliiions are similar, and where the clubs ! cemed are operating in the same Island. A few Auckland horses journeyed to Hawke’s Bay, and others, no loubt, would have made the trip, only for the f act that one of the tew prominent meetings of the Auckland circuit uas on the same day. This year the Te Aroha Club stages , s schedule on April 21, which appears to tit In nicely with a run of fixtures, which includes 'Thames, Wanganui, Hawera, New Plymouth, and Te Aroha. These programmes are decided at veekly intervals and two weeks after I'e Aroha the Cambridge fixture comes up for decision. ANTICIPATED LIMIT The Te Aroha Club is one of the few now operating in New Zealand that inters for the very slow class of trotter, and the programme committee would be well advised to make a big cut in its four-minute mile-and-a.-half heat.

The two-mile unhcppled event at present standing with a five-minute limit, might reasonably be reduced, but in the hoppled heats the times previously allotted compare favourably with the sister clubs of Thames, Cambridge and Whangarei. With the big twist taken in the limits by the Auckland Club, which has prohibited many horses trained in the province from taking part at Alexandra Park, country clubs will find themselves called upon to exercise more care in the preparation o;! programmes, as it is cnly natural there will be more competitors now forced to go to the suburban fixtures for their racing. OWNERS CAN ASSIST If Auckland owners and trainers moved in the question early, “Abaydos” Dels sure the clubs referred to would bo only too pleased to have suggestions from those who are actively engaged in the pastime and know just what is required to suit the conditions obtaining. If anything is to be done, however. in this direction, a move should be made without further delay. Apathy on the part of owners and trainers has precluded many from racing next month, but they should profit by the experience and “make hay while the sun shines.”