North ‘sacrificing’ racing in south

A former South Canterbury racing official has laid the blame for the potential closure of Timaru’s Phar Lap Raceway at the feet of North Island decision makers.

Last Friday, as the racecourse hosted its biggest meeting of the year, Peter White, 76, said the monopoly held by administrators north of the Cook Strait has led to a division that is killing South Island horse racing.

‘‘They’re sacrificing the South Island for the North Island to expand,’’ he said of the Messara Report that recommends the Timaru track be among 22 to be closed around the country.

‘‘We are a whole country, not a portion of a country.’’

White, a life member of the South Canterbury Racing Club after previously holding positions of president and chairman, said the North Islanders made decisions that only benefited themselves.

‘‘The North Island, Hamilton north, want to put in all-weather tracks. They are welcome to do it but they must not sacrifice South Island racing to do it.’’ White said he first visited the racecourse, named after the Timaru-born racing legend who died under mysterious circumstances in 1932, as an 8-year-old in 1950. The proposed closure of the racecourse will impact the racing beyond the comprehension of those who make these decisions, he said. ‘‘We are going to lose a lot of people to racing if we close these courses down. And that will be the real tragedy.’’

White added racing should be promoted to attract more young people to the race track, not make it more inaccessible.

‘‘We are seeing a lot of young people here today and that is our next generation of racing support, which must be encouraged as much as possible.’’

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s chief executive Bernard Saundry rejected White’s allegations.

‘‘NZTR regards such claims as unfounded,’’ Saundry said. ‘‘NZTR sets strategy for the racing industry on a national basis, which may have a bearing on clubs irrespective of location.’’

In response to the allegation that the North Islanders made decisions that only benefited themselves with the ‘‘all-weather tracks’’, Saundry again denied White’s claims.

‘‘NZTR supports the proposal that a synthetic track be located in each of three regions, these being the Waikato, the Manawatu and Canterbury.’’

He said that through 2018,

DOUG FIELD/STUFF Mitch Grant, left, and Archie Lee, both 8, work on their creation at the Caroline Bay Carnival sand modelling competition yesterday. Competition judge Polly Rowe said the annual contest on the Bay attracted 38 entries with a ‘‘creative range’’ of designs including traditional sand castles, a crocodile, shark and a penguin meeting the Queen. ‘‘It was really hard to judge,’’ she said. The carnival continues today with talent quest auditions from 9am.

Peter White