New Zealands Big Prizes: Islands Give More Money to Racing in Proportion than Any Other on Earth, Daily Racing Form, 1921-10-01

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NEW ZEALANDS BIG PRIZES Islands People Give More Money to Racing in Proportion Than Any Other on Earth. New Zealand docs not bulk largely among the lands and communities of the world, but in one respect that far-away commonwealth, isolated in the antipodean Pacific, stands out eminently. That respect is that area, population and wealth considered. New Zealand gives more money to racing than any other country of the world. A striking comparison is that the United States, with its much more than a hundred million people and its vast wealth, gave ,456,507 in stakes and purses last year, while New Zealand, with its less than a million inhabitants, gave ,360,105. Concerning New Zealands racing returns last year "Pilot" says in a recent number of the Sydnej Referee: "Tlie other day I received some official figures relative to prize money in New Zealand and they make interesting reading. Stakes total more annually than in either New South Wales or Victoria. There is no pony racing over there and the prize money for galloping races run on the 230 days allowed by the act last season totaled ,366,195. It would be a conservative estimate to say there were at least three times as many days registered racing in New South Wales, but the amount distributed did not get within coo-ee of the New Zealand total. Tlie prize money at registered meetings in the Sydney metropolitan area did not exceed 50,000, inclusive of sweepstakes and forfeits, tlie four provincial clubs those just outside the forty miles radius totaled a little over 0,000, and Newcastle and Wallsend about 00,000. Consequently all those clubs did not make up more than ,100,000 between them. Allowing 03,000 for the remainder of the registered clubs in New South Wales and that would be liberal it would mean .,400,000, or over 65,000 behind New Zealand, with its comparatively small number of days. "NEW SOUTH WALES BADLY BEATEN. "Of course, my attention will: be drawnf jo the substantial prize-money given by the Sydandp.v un registered. clubs. Last season it rranIntti, 1.1,000 for J.sev-4rr Ttlays, and tlie Sydney. ArplUng clubs aiur those just outside Sydney . gave nearly 30,000. Against these dt8tributIons?j:ijns-b?put 1921.sh50,000 given for trotting in New Zealand. The prize money for" about 270 days galloping arid trotting in the dominion last year was at least ,020,000. Including every branch of racing-registered, unregistered and trotting in New South Wales, we were certainly over 50,000 behind New Zealand. "My figures bearing on registered racing are not of the haphazard order, but are those submitted at the recent Racing Conference. To be exact, there were 1.C97 galloping races in New Zealand Inst season for a total of ,306,195 an average of about ,395 a race for the whole of the dominion. I should not like to suggest what this states average per race would be, but with so many country meetings at which the prize money for tlie day does not exceed 00, it is pretty low. OWNEBS SHOULD BE SATISFIED. "The smallest amount given by any club apart from trotting clubs for a day in New Zealand last year was ,700 for eight races. The next lowest at a meeing was a total of ,000 for two days, and then ,050 and ,900 respectively for other two days meetings. There were only seven days on which ,500 was not reached, fifteen when it fell short of ,000 a day, and twenty below ,500. In the country districts of New South Wales it Is only the most important clubs that reach or exceed ,700 the smallest sum given for a day at any county fixture in. New Zealand. I am confining my remarks to running meetings. Tiie Auckland Racing Club, with 07,250 for eleven days, gave the most prize money, succeeded by the Canterbury Jockey Club, 11,150 for ten days; Wellington Racing Club, 10,250 for nine, and Dunedin Jockey Club, 34,000 for nine. Tlie totalizator turnover for the 230 days was 9,80S,925, and though the machine deprives owners of the chance of getting money on race courses at a better price than the public, it makes amends by enabling clubs to give good stakes."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1921100101/drf1921100101_1_3
Local Identifier: drf1921100101_1_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800