Fast10 - harness racing’s answer to T20 cricket - will lauch at Addington in December

Racing’s equivalent of T20 cricket is set to debut on Friday, December 20.

FAST 10 Horse Racing will see 10 races each of 10 horses staged in just over two and a half hours.

In what is promoted by developers Tony Russell and Glenn Hames as a world first, Quick Horse Racing Ltd will stage its first event at Addington, starting just before mid-day.

Russell and Hames, both racehorse owners, have been working on the concept for more than two years, and say the event is the next level of racing - faster than ever before, racing in half the time but doubling the fun.

Passionate about the racing industry, the pair say they want to “reignite passion and interest in the industry while creating a fun and exciting event to appeal to new customers.”

“We have seen how T20 has changed cricket and we believe that Fast10 can provide that same effect to racing in New Zealand”.

A colourful array of entertainment, yet to be revealed, will feature on the day.

Harness Racing New Zealand’s Communication and Ownership Co-Ordinator Jess Smith says more information will be available soon for licence holders, who may question the logistics of running races so close together.

Hames says the races, all sprints from the mobile gate, will start at 11.52am and be run at 18 to 20 minute intervals, ending at 2.34pm when entertainment will kick in, hopefully to be a big pre-Christmas crowd .

Work is underway to get the entire event streamed live.