Racing: Wheeler praises stand on jumpers

One of New Zealand's greats, the late Ray Verner, didn't make many mistakes in his history-making career as a trainer.

Verner used to love saying at Takanini trackwork: "There's only one bloke that never made a mistake and it didn't do him a lot of good - they nailed him to a cross."

Keith Haub made even fewer mistakes in his heyday as a racecaller.

Haub similarly loved saying: "It's why they put rubbers on pencils and bumpers on cars, because people make mistakes."

It's unusual for John Wheeler to make a mistake.

But the New Plymouth horseman was yesterday looking for the rubber on his pencil.

His comments about the stakemoney for the Northerns at Ellerslie late this winter were off the mark. "I apologise to the Auckland Racing Club for being wide of the mark there."

Wheeler's comments in yesterday's Herald were a knee-jerk reaction to his disappointment that jumps racing is becoming less popular and looks to be on its way out in Australia.

For the record, the stakemoney for the Great Northern Hurdles and Great Northern Steeplechase will be a minimum of $85,000, the same as last year.

The ARC is still some time from officially declaring the actual stakes.

If Wheeler was yesterday apologising for his stakemoney comments, he wasn't for his disappointment that not every racing administrator wants to see jumps racing thrive.

New Zealand Jumps Incorporated, set up to assist the continuation of jumping, is doing a sterling job.

One of its board members, Dennis Ryan, former racing journalist, horse trainer and current NZ Thoroughbred Racing board member, points out that Wednesday's four and five-horse jumps races at Te Aroha would not have gone ahead before NZJI was put together two years ago.

"Graeme Rogerson [trainer] asked why the stake for the main steeplechase had been reduced from $10,000 to $8500 after nominations.

"He said it wouldn't have happened for a flat race.

"I told Graeme that, no, it wouldn't have happened because a four-horse flat race would have been scrapped.

"We've put in place a formula that allows small jumps races to go ahead with a diminishing stake level."

There is even provision for a two-horse jumps race to proceed with a 50 per cent reduction in stakemoney.

"Those horses that went around on Wednesday deserved that opportunity, they have future engagements to get ready for. Graeme was fine once I'd explained things to him."

John Wheeler is not one to back away. "I got that wrong and I don't get too much wrong.

"I haven't got it wrong that we need jumps racing in New Zealand.

"No one's going to turn on the television or read a newspaper about winter flat racing."