Calendar changes urged to industry reviewer

Sean Bellew.
Sean Bellew.
Southland Racing Club president Sean Bellew has urged John Messara to recommend changes to the racing calendar to ensure the survival of Southern racing.

Bellew met Messara, who is charged with completing a high-level review of the racing industry on behalf of Racing Minister Winston Peters, in Invercargill recently.

Messara inspected several racetracks in Otago and Southland.

Bellew met Messara at Ascot Park and was pleased with their discussion.

''He gave me a good listening to, and he obviously realises people are quite patriotic and quite passionate and everyone has their own agenda.''

The opportunity to meet Messara and discuss industry issues was not afforded to Otago and Southland's major harness racing organisations, nor every major thoroughbred organisation.

Officials from Southern Harness Racing and the Forbury Park Trotting Club both confirmed they did not have an opportunity to have discussions with Messara.

Messara was accompanied on his inspection of racecourses by Otago Racing Club chief executive officer Hannah Catchpole.

Catchpole did not have formal discussions about the racing industry with Messara, she said.

Bellew urged Messara that it was essential that he recommend that racing dates are restructured.

''He is not about closing courses down; he is wondering about how you improve the model.

''The simple solution is racing dates, change the racing calendar.''

Bellew told Messara that if more circuit or carnival style meetings - where races were scheduled within days of each other at the same track - were held, the industry would prosper.

''You don't need to look into the future to improve racing; you need to look back at history and things that have worked.

''Circuit racing and two-day racing should be reintroduced and then a trainer can bring down a float-load of horses for two or three days.

''There is only one move for the trainer, one move for the paid employees and one move for the jockeys.

''We have trainers from as far away as Christchurch obviously, and the bulk of our riders are from Canterbury - why make them travel around like ping-pong balls?''

Southerners are set to have their say on horse racing matters when the racing minister holds a public meeting in Invercargill next week.

Peters will address racing industry participants at the Ascot Park racecourse.

The acting Prime Minister will speak for 15 minutes before taking questions from the floor for 45 minutes.

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