HRA’s ‘EUREKA!’ Slot Race PROPOSAL

Legend has it that 2,000 years ago Archimedes ran through the streets of Syracuse shouting “Eureka” …. meaning “I have found it” (from the Greek
εuρηκα). A great thinker, and mathematician, Archimedes believed he had discovered a means of differentiating gold from silver using the displacement of water. And today we have the great thinkers at Harness Racing Australia also shouting Eureka in the streets (well, on the harbour) of Sydney … believing that they too have ‘found it’. Truth be told, they have ‘lost it’ …… the plot that is. 

How can anyone really believe that staging the ‘world’s richest harness race’ will help the local industry, and somehow grow the pie? Sure, silver and gold
are involved – but whose money is being used precisely?

And, perhaps unwittingly, HRA has channelled Archimedes in other ways as well. You see, Archimedes was the inventor of the ‘Archimedes Screw’ – a screw-shaped blade in a cylinder, originally designed to transfer water from a low-lying source into irrigation channels – and it is clear that our authority is hell-bent on ‘screwing’ the breeding sector (low-lying fruit?) in order to water the fields of the rich and famous. Plus, as the greatest mathematician of ancient times, Archimedes also applied the concept of ‘infinitesimally small’ and the ‘method of exhaustion’ to derive, and rigorously prove, a range of geometrical theorems (the precursor to modern calculus, basically). But he never found a way of getting blood out of a stone …. which HRA clearly believes is indeed possible as they target infinitesimally small breeders, who are already at the point of exhaustion.

Let us for a moment examine the claims – as detailed by HRA – that underwrite The Eureka Race concept, versus the realities of life:

The world’s richest Harness Race will create enormous international interest and generate unprecedented wagering interest. But, wait a
minute, the planned Eureka is restricted to Australian-bred 3 and 4-yos, which are totally and utterly unknown to offshore punters! This is completely different from Sweden’s Elitloppet; France’s Prix d’Amerique; or Canada’s North American Cup – which are proffered as ‘comparatives’ – since with them there is a truly international flavour more often than not.

We predict that The Eureka will be nothing but a ‘shooting star’ – illuminating the sky for a brief moment, and then everything will sink back into total darkness.

The Eureka is unashamedly designed to grow the Australian harness racing industry. It is part of our ‘Advance Australia’ strategy to encourage owners and participants to buy Australian-born yearlings. How? Why? You can count on your fingers the number of yearlings purchased by Australians offshore each year. There is absolutely nothing in this ‘concept’ that will provide a boost to local breeding -despite all the hoopla and rhetoric that “Australian breeders are set to benefit from a prizemoney injection …..” as was bandied around when the notion of a two million dollar race was first floated in April 2021.

A second prediction: anyone with a loose $300K in their pocket will use it to bid to become a ‘Slot Holder’, rather than taking a punt on buying a couple of $100K yearlings!

We are thrilled to launch a truly aspirational harness race, something that will reward both those in the industry and attract new people into it. Same questions: How? and Why? Any ‘new people’ will effectively just be buying a slot for their moment of glory, and plundering the money that has been ‘stolen’ from the small, grass-roots breeders who are the very backbone of our industry. The ones who actually provide are the very backbone of our industry. The ones who actually provide the product, remember.

Importantly for prospective slot holders, the majority of the prize money will be funded by Harness Racing Australia. LIE! It will be funded by the Harness Racing Industry IN AUSTRALIA – specifically breeders – not by the authority in and of themselves. This is feudalism at its very worst! Tax the struggling serfs and peasants, who can barely put food on their tables already, just so that you can lavish excesses onto the platters of the wealthy.

It is disgusting, and an insult to every breeder in the land. If you want to have match racing, or slot races, where the rich compete for each others’ monopoly money – go for it. But have them bid against each other for a ‘slot’! If there is such excitement, and interest from ‘new players’, the competition for slots should be very strong, and you’ll raise your $2 million in a flash, and not have to cripple the breeding industry in the process.

And here is another closing prediction. Within days, the owner of The Eureka winner will be fielding offers from North America, especially if it is an entire
or mare, as they will all be wanting to breed to the winner of the world’s richest race. So they will be lost to the Australian breeding scene forever.

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!