Owners of 4 year olds badly shortchanged

The harness racing community will gather in Christchurch this weekend to honour and celebrate the elite performers of our industry over the last twelve months.

The winners of the age group pacers and trotters divisions will be able to celebrate and remember what a great last twelve months they have had.

That is unless you happen to be the owner or trainer of a four year old pacer or trotter.

This is nothing at this years awards dinner for four year olds and that is due to the incredibly short sighted decision to combine the awards for four year olds and older horses into one category.

So Sky Major has to go up against Christen Me, King Denny against Stent, Venus Serena against Adore Me and Poppymalda against Kincaslough.

Hence no four year old in New Zealand from last season will win an award which is a travesty when you realize what an incredibly talented bunch of pacers and trotters we had in this age group last season.

In recent years some of our major four year old classics have been turned into four and five year old races with the aim of trying to keep some of our older horses in New Zealand and to produce stronger fields.

But like all poor decisions it is only a half way house.

Not all the four year old races have been made into joint affairs with the five year olds with the Harness Jewels the obvious exception.

Surely if it is such a great idea to make the Messenger and the Taylor Mile joint races with the four and five year olds, why not the Harness Jewels.

Logic would suggest that having made four and five year olds a joint age group for some classics they would follow suit and do the awards on the same basis.

Instead we have a situation were we have four year old Group races, four and five year old Group races and then when it comes to awards time we have four year olds, five year olds and older horses in one category.

It is a mess of their own making and one that needs urgent attention.

The owners and trainers of four year olds deserve to be treated better and to be acknowledged for the massive contribution they make to our industry.

Harnesslink Media