Harness Racing New Zealand and the New Zealand Racing Board yesterday announced a nationwide funding injection to harness racing stakes. The extra money will add $1500 to the purse of first-time winners who win races totalling less than $15,000.
The scheme will officially be in effect tomorrow and will continue until the end of the season on July 31.
Prior to the announcement, this week's Forbury Park Trotting Club meeting's maiden race stakes were set at $6000, with $3300 going to the race winner.
With an additional $1500 on top of the winner's portion, the winning horse's owners are now set to receive $4800.
That $4800 makes the winner's cheque equivalent to the winning portion of a race for non-maidens boasting a total stake of $8,727.
The funding boost for maiden races comes directly from money in the NZRB's $4.77 million Industry Enhancement Fund.
In January, the board announced the additional industry funding for the three racing codes, which would be spread over nearly three and a-half racing seasons. Of $4.77 million. 2.8 million is tagged to go directly towards race stakes.
Getting money into harness stakes from the fund came with the condition that HRNZ must demonstrate it will add the money on to existing stakes, rather than use it to sustain current levels, HRNZ Chairman Edward Rennell said.
HRNZ then moved to target race purses at the very bottom level, rather than spreading the money evenly across the industry or splitting the funds any other number of way.
``We wanted to put it in at the bottom end,'' Rennell said.
``We thought that first win, to many, was a good way of getting money in at the bottom end.''
Although the NZRB has set the Industry Enhancement Fund to run until the end of this season and then the next three full racing seasons, the $1500 maiden race boost is not set to run for that long yet.
That is largely because harness racing's share of the $2.8 million race stakes fund would not support the scheme over a full season.
``We are going to have to review it.
``To do it over a full year probably would cost more for us that what is in that fund, so we would have to try and support it out of our distribution account.''
``I'm not saying we won't, but we will need to find some additional funding to support it for a full year.''
The boost to maiden races was welcome news for Forbury Park Trotting Club manager Rodney Moore.
``We are delighted with the announcement from HRNZ.''
The money added more incentive for owners to continue absorbing the costs of campaigning their horses, Moore said.
``It provides further opportunities for people to race their horses.''
Forbury Park board and committee member, Geoff Knight, who regularly co-trains a sizeable team of horses at the club's meetings, also praised the stakes boost.
``I think it is great. At the end of the day they are giving it to the grass roots.''
``Any time we can give more money back to the owners is great.''
The combination of targeting the stakes boost at the non-winners' grade and the introduction of harness racing's new ratings system means the money will be fairly distributed, Knight said.
``It is not just going to go to better horses.
``The bottom-tier horses are going to get their opportunity to win that $1500 as well.''
- Jonny Turner
