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It's rare to see a sporting club increase its activity during the coronavirus pandemic but there is one Bathurst facility ready to do just that. The Bathurst Harness Racing Club will play host to all meetings in the western zone of NSW due to an initiative from the governing body to contain the spread of the virus.
Starting April 1, all harness racing in the state will be conducted at just six venues – Menangle and Penrith (metropolitan), Wagga (southern), Bathurst (western), Newcastle and Tamworth (northern) – with participants only permitted to race in the region in which they are located.
The changes will be carried through until at least the end of this racing season on August 31.
Bathurst Harness Racing CEO Danny Dwyer threw his full support behind the decision and said the move hearkens back to similar measures introduced during the 2007 equine influenza spread in Australia.
"I think it's the way to go. When equine influenza was happening racing was split into zones and … you ended up racing with closed pools of horses," he said.
"It makes sense to keep horses based in one area. If there was a positive test in, say, Sydney then those other areas areas are still able to go ahead without shutting down the whole state.
"The other part of it is that with the venues they've chosen, pretty much nothing else goes on at those places. If we were still at the Showground that would have been an issue."
Meetings will be serviced by regional specific stewards and approved HRNSW club personnel and movements between regions will be accepted only with approval from the HRNSW Integrity Division.
Owners will not be permitted to attend training stables outside the region in which they reside for the purposes of strict biosecurity.
The move also means Bathurst will play host to all Carnival of Cups meetings for the western region.
All non-TAB events have been cancelled for the remainder of the season.
The Treuer Memorial (Bankstown), the Renshaw Cup (Penrith) and the Carousel (Club Menangle) will be rescheduled after the easing of restrictions by government if suitable dates are found.
HRNSW confirmed the Riverina Group 1 Championships will not be conducted in the current climate.
Another change announced by HRNSW on Monday was that all drivers must only wear one set of colours for all race meetings in the state.
Bathurst's Gold Crown carnival went ahead following a negative COVID-19 test on an industry member.
Racing takes place at Bathurst this Wednesday night.
By Alexander Grant
Reprinted with permission of The Western Advocate
