$15 million funding injection for harness racing

The Harness Racing New South Wales Board today announced a $15 million funding injection for the next three years commencing this upcoming July.

The lucrative boost will deliver the ‘Breed NSW’ concept, an increase to A Category meetings, a metropolitan prizemoney increase plus further enhancements to the Breeders Challenge, Trot NSW and trotting features in the state.

Chairman of HRNSW, Ken Brown, released this message to the industry:

I am pleased to advise that the Board of Harness Racing NSW (HRNSW) has resolved to deliver to the Industry $15million in a suite of funding injections over the next three years commencing from 1 July, 2022.

Signature to this range of initiatives will be the “Breed NSW” concept which will deliver a direct injection of $1.7million into breeding mares in NSW this upcoming season. That figure equates to a guaranteed $6million over the three-year period.

The development of the “Breed NSW” initiative is based on Industry feedback specifically requested by HRNSW in February of this year.

Owners of broodmares physically located in NSW from the commencement of the 2022 breeding season (1 August, 2022) will receive:

• $250 on a 42 day pregnancy test;
• $1000 on the HRNSW registration of a live foal; and an additional
• $500 for live foals by stallions physically standing in NSW which have been accepted into the “Breed NSW” Scheme.

The Colonial Stallion Scheme ($500 cash rebate) which was introduced by HRNSW several years ago remains in place.

On the prizemoney front it will be recalled that HRNSW brought forward by 12 months the guaranteed base prizemoney increases originally scheduled for 1 January, 2023.

From 1 January, 2022 “A” and “B” Category Meeting Races have carried prizemoney of $8800 and $6800 respectively.

That measure was well received by the Industry at large and with wagering revenues holding up, the Board of HRNSW has taken the decision to further increase prizemoney for “A” Category Meeting Races to $9600 as and from 1 July, 2022.

In effect, in a period of but 18 months base prizemoney for “A” Category Races has gone from $6500 to $9600, an increase of 48%.

HRNSW has followed the recommendation of the Harness Racing Clubs Committee in that the differential in prizemoney levels between the meeting categories could be widened so that winning horses are not disadvantaged in relation to the national rating point matrix.

With 65% of the meetings scheduled in NSW being “A” Category, the increase to $9600 will deliver $1.6million in additional base prizemoney next financial year and $4.8million over three years.

Through the use of the “10th horse” fund which distributes 102% in prizemoney, “A” Category Meeting Races will be advertised as $9792 which is but a small step away from the goal of $10,000 base prizemoney races in every region every week.

In tandem with the forgoing, as from 1 July 2022 minimum race prizemoney of Club Menangle metropolitan meetings will be elevated to $20,000 representing an annual increase in prizemoney on offer of $1million.

The Directors and Management of our Principal Club must be acknowledged for their endeavours in this respect and is certainly another goal realised.

Other approved increases in prizemoney for the Breeders Challenge and Trot NSW Series as well as boosts to feature trotting events representing in total some $600,000 annually will be announced later this month.

Whilst NSW will remain at the forefront in the conduct of high value feature races such as the $1million Miracle Mile and the recently announced $2million “Eureka”, HRNSW has with the introduction of a new breeding stimulus package as well as a continued strong focus on prizemoney at the grass-roots level, looked to provide a vital platform for the long term sustainability of our great code of racing.

Yours faithfully,

Ken Brown AM

Chairman