87 horses for titles

Taupo Times, Volume 20, Issue 5, 21 January 1971, Page 10

87 horses for titles

Four qualifying heats for pacers will be run on each of the first three nights of the Inter-Dominion series at Addington Raceway on February 13, 17 and 20. This was decided by the committee of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club after consideration had been given to the fact that 87 horses including 23 from Australia, had survived the first withdrawals taken on Friday, January 8. The committee gave consideration to running ninerace programmes on each night, and also on the final day on Saturday, February 27, but decided to delete one open handicap race for pacers from each programme and retain eight races. Although no decision was made as to the classes which will comprise the fields for the championship heats it is expected that few horses assessed slower than 2:12 will secure a start. However, a decision has been delayed until after final withdrawals are taken on Friday, January 29. A decision regarding the number of starters in each heat has also been delayed until January 29. The programme provides for a maximum number of 14 starters in any championship race. As a result of the extra race for championship class pacers on each programme, stakes for the whole meeting will now amount to a record $131,600, an increase of $3700 on the total in the original programme.