Punters will have to adapt to self service terminals as operator-assisted totes are phased out.
Brace yourselves for serious stake cuts - RITA to reveal its funding budget on Friday
By Barry Lichter • 23 June 2020
Funding to the codes for next season’s race stakes will be known on Friday and it could be up to 25% down on this year.
The revelation yesterday, from Harness Racing New Zealand’s interim chief executive Phil Holden, confirmed fears that the industry is on the verge of severe stakes reductions.
The Racing Industry Transition Agency board is meeting today and Holden says it will reveal its budget to the codes on Friday.
“We’ve had some broad conversations with them and it’s fair to say it’s going to be significantly less. It could be anywhere up to 25% less.”
Holden said the three racing codes had yet to come to an agreement on just how RITA’s bulk funding will be divided between them.
But already talk around the traps is that there will be a severe cap placed on prizemoney for all Group races, a move that is sure to see even more horses and trainers abandon New Zealand.
Cambridge Raceway CEO David Branch is hoping that the coming cuts won’t mean that speculation about $5000 races proves to be correct.
Of the four clubs which raced in the last two weeks, Cambridge recorded the lowest turnover of $589,234. Branch, however, said it wasn’t far removed from what he’d expect on a normal mid-winter Thursday.
$7000 on-course turnover
The official on-course turnover was just $7000, though Branch pointed out that another $12,000 was put through its Clubhouse, which as a stand alone TAB comes under off-course turnover.
Cambridge had four operator-assisted terminals open in the grandstand and one self service terminal.
The second lowest turnover, $598,472, was at the other northern meeting at Alexandra Park where, on its first night open to the public, on-course betting was also a pitiful $7000.
The Auckland Trotting Club also has a TAB next to the Alex Bar which would have added more turnover, again grouped under the off-course total.
Total turnover on the ATC’s nine races was $598,472, an average of $66,497.
Invercargill saw a turnover drop on the previous two weeks, its $700,175 last Saturday testimony to competition from the first gallops meeting at Pukekohe.
Addington, with it’s prized Friday nights, continued to post strong figures, with averages per race of $89,886 and $112,870.
Asked if the low on-course turnovers were disturbing, Harness Racing New Zealand racing and marketing manager Darrin Williams said they probably indicated people were already using their own devices to bet.
On-course betting totals in the last two weeks were:
Cambridge: $7000.
Auckland: $7000.
Invercargill: $10,000, $12,000.
Addington: $18,000, $12,000, $11,000, $17,000.
Under the present bulk funding rules, clubs gain no extra income from increased on-course turnover.
Turnover details
Thursday night, June 11 Cambridge (10 races) $589,234, average per race $58,923
On-course $7000, off-course $282,000, fixed odds $300,000.
Friday night, June 12 Addington (12 races) $1,078,639, average per race $89,886
On-course $18,000, off-course $525,000, fixed odds $534,000.
Saturday, June 13 Invercargill (10 races) $754,963, average per race $75,496
On-course $12,000 off-course $477,000, fixed odds $265,000.
Sunday, June 14 Addington (9 races) $671,021, average per race $74,557
On-course $12,000, off-course $376,000, fixed odds $283,000.
Thursday night, June 18 Auckland (9 races) $598,472, average per race $66,497
On-course $7000, off-course $269,000, fixed odds, $322,000.
Friday night, June 19 Addington (10 races) $1,128,700, average per race $112,870
On-course $11,000, off-course $548,000, fixed odds $568,000.
Saturday, June 20 Invercargill (10 races) $700,175, average per race $70,017
On-course $10,000, off-course $382,000, fixed odds, $307,000.
Sunday, June 21 Addington (12 races) $966,098, average per race $80,508
On-course $17,000, off-course $554,000, fixed odds $394,000.
More news in Harness
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Sugar Ray signals start of good year ahead with tough win; blinkers for Lincoln Wave
Winners and losers in dates for the new season - your month by month harness guide
Ray: Sammy Lincoln has ‘turned the corner’ and can go on with it on Friday night
Our runners this week: How our trainer rates them
Ray’s comments
Friday night at Auckland
Race 1: Angelic Copy
4.53pm
“She’s done everything right and trialled really nicely. I think she’s forward enough to give some cheek. She’s only small. You like to think when you get a good two-year-old like her that they’ll get stronger and transition into a nice three-year-old but she hasn’t grown an inch. But she tries hard and enjoys being out there.”
Race 2: Major Copy
5.28pm
“I’m looking forward to seeing him. You never really know ’til you get to the races but he’s trialled well enough to start and I wouldn’t be surprised if he went a good race, despite the draw. He’s a nice sensible colt who’s done nothing wrong and he could develop into a really nice three-year-old.”
Race 6: Lincoln Wave
7.22pm
“He was starting to get into the habit of switching off so we trained him in blinds this week and he went pretty well. He was good from a standing start at the trials with shorteners in and Maurice was actually quite bullish about his standing start manners and thinks that, in time, he’ll end up being a quick beginner. If he steps well, and can land in the first one or two, he’ll definitely be hard to get round.”
Race 6: Sugar Ray Lincoln
7.22pm
“He’s not spectacular from a stand but he will get away, albeit sometimes a bit slowly. Lincoln Wave has more speed than him but if it comes down to a slugfest he’d be too strong as he’s rock hard fit.”
Race 8: Prince Lincoln
8.23pm
“The blinds go back on this week and if he steps and leads like he did three starts ago that would make him the one to beat. He showed with that win that he’s above average and will be a serious chance.”
Race 8: Rivergirl Bella
8.23pm
“You could argue she’s a Cambridge horse but sometimes when you throw them in with the bear cats they lift their game and I thought she was really good here last week. Tony (Cameron) said she’d have finished a bit closer too if he hadn’t had to take hold of her close to home (when he ran out of room and hit a marker pole).”
Race 8: Sammy Lincoln
8.23pm
“We’ve got blinds on him this week. Harry said he lost concentration a couple of times last week, including at the top of the straight, and thought he’d be a bit more on to it with blinds on. I still thought his was the run of the race last time - none of the others could have done what he did - and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score.”
