South Canterbury harness racing under threat

Doug Sail of Stuff reports that all harness racing on South Canterbury tracks is under threat again if a report on a confidential review commissioned by Racing New Zealand is accurate.

The review, reportedly signalled in the Canterbury Regional Review (CRR), comes less than two years after Geraldine and Timaru warded off proposals to end racing at Orari and Phar Lap Raceway, respectively.

At that time, the Geraldine Trotting Club received an “11th-hour reprieve” to race at Orari instead of Methven while the Timaru Harness Racing Club had its seven-race programme slashed to three.

Presidents of both harness racing clubs have declined to comment on the contents of a report on the review in industry publication Harness Xpress which said the end of harness racing was recommended for Orari by July 2023 and at Phar Lap Raceway by July 2025, at the latest.

The recommendation also includes the end of harness racing at the Rangiora track.

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by Doug Sail, reprinted with permission from Stuff