RACING Queensland has agreed to trial a new policy on minimum race numbers and fields for Thoroughbreds after consultation with trainers and other stakeholders.
Effective immediately the minimum number of acceptances required for a race to proceed will shift from seven to five under a trial scheduled to run until the end of the current racing season, July 31, 2017.
The move is seen as a boost to many country and remote clubs where the previous policy may have rendered some race meetings untenable.
Racing Queensland CEO Dr Eliot Forbes said the decision to trial the changes came after collaboration with the Australia Trainers Association, Queensland branch, the Queensland Trainers Association and others. “We take the views of our key stakeholders very seriously and we have been convinced this trial is a positive move for the industry as a whole,” he said.
Cameron Partington from the Australian Trainers Association, Queensland Branch welcomed the decision. “This is a fantastic outcome for all trainers throughout Queensland, and the industry as a whole. We appreciate that small fields are not ideal, and that fields less than five are difficult to sustain viability. This great news comes at a very welcome time, and is credit to the hard work of the ATA (Qld) and the consultative relationship we have with Racing Queensland and in particular Thoroughbred Board Representative Mark Sowerby,” he said.
Ross Shannon from the Queensland Trainers Association was equally supportive. “QTA welcomes the decision. We had a situation where we had to delete a race for 2YOs recently because we only had five starters so for us it couldn’t come quick enough. We think it’s a great decision,” he said
Dr Forbes said the revised policy enhances the confidence that trainers and owners can have in the racing program and their ability to place their horses to their best advantage. The trial will provide real data to inform policy decisions moving forward including demographics, program impact and wagering metrics. The policy will be reviewed at the end of the trial after we analyse the results for clubs, owners, trainers and punters,” he said
As part of the trial, previous restrictions on the minimum number of races at race meetings has also been removed. The revised policy allows the flexibility for Racing Queensland to work collaboratively with clubs on a meeting by meeting basis.
“We are always looking for ways to make racing more sustainable and to ensure the thrill of racing can be enjoyed by communities across the state,” said Dr Forbes.
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