Everyone’s a winner in harness racing’s long-awaited makeover - here’s what’s in it for you

Harness racing has received its biggest boost in years with the annnouncement today that stakes will rise by $10 million in the new season starting in August.

And in news that will be welcomed by a wide cross section of participants, it’s not just feature races that will benefit, with 75% of the money earmarked for everyday racing.

Funding for the boost, which is locked in for the next three years, will come from Harness Racing New Zealand, Entain, TAB NZ and the New Zealand Sires’ Stakes Board with a 20% increase in the number of races run.

Big winners from the hike include fillies and mares, trotting and the Sires’ Stakes programme.

A fillies and mares’ pathway, known as The Silk Road, will see 150 new races funded with more Group races and a first Group 1 Mares’ Trot. Details of the $900,000 package will be released next week but the target is for fillies and mares’ races to be 16% of total races.

Trotting breeders have reason to celebrate with trotting stakes to increase by $1 million.

As well as catering for bread and butter racing, new HRNZ Chief Executive Brad Steele says it’s important to push aspirational races like the New Zealand Cup, the purse for which will rise from $789,000 to $1 million, the first time it has been at that level since Monkey King won in 2009.

Show Day will also get a major makeover with a 3pm twilight start and $2.2 million in stakes, featuring the country’s biggest trotting race, the Dominion, up $100,000 to $400,000.

Two new slot races

As well as a $200,000 Free-For-All for pacers there will be two new slot races, each worth $500,000 for three-year-old trotters and pacers.

“We have to celebrate the emergence of slot races and the opportunities they create to promote the game,” Steele said.

“Slot races allow us to showcase the very best of a group of horses for great stakes.”

More details of the slot races will be released in August but it is believed they will be mobile 1980 metre races for 10 horses with a $30,000 entry this year.

Addington’s late season Grand Prix meeting will be expanding to two days, the $225,000 NZ Pacing Oaks and $140,000 NZ Trotting Oaks, plus four two-year-old Aces races on November 29, and the $300,000 NZ Pacing Derby and $200,000 NZ Trotting Derby and a new $200,000 race for four-year-olds on December 6.

The Look North

A big push into Auckland will be a critical part of a new strategy, called The Look North.

Entain boss Dean Shannon said it was imperative to revitalise harness racing in the North Island.

“Auckland is a key population and economic centre but it is under-represented in harness racing and wagering.”

The new Friday Night Lights concept, which starts today, will see dual harness meetings run, almost exclusively at Alexandra Park and Addington, with on-course broadcast teams at both venues.

Auckland Cup on New Year’s Eve

A key change will see the Auckland Cup and National Trot return to New Year’s Eve.

Auckland will also hold the $1million Golden Gait Series, consisting of 10 $100,000 races on December 20, runners earning their place by gathering points throughout the season.

Alexandra Park will host a regular heats and finals format with $35,000 Finals.

Cambridge which runs the two big slot races in April, will also stage a new Summer Nights Festival throughout January.

$8000 Tuesday stakes

Cambridge will hold 32 meetings on Tuesdays, with stakes of $8000, and the likelihood of ratings concessions. Programmes are expected to be published on the HRNZ website early next week.

Prizemoney for the Sires’ Stakes series will increase by $600,000, funded jointly by the NZ Sires’ Stakes Board and HRNZ.

The NZ Sires’ Stakes Two-year-old and Three-year-old Colts and Geldings and Fillies’ Finals will rise from $160,000 to $200,000 while the Nevele R Three-year-old Fillies’ Final on New Zealand Cup day will go from $140,000 to $200,000.

The stakes for the Two-year-old Trotters’ Final and Three-year-old Trotters’ Final will increase from $70,000 to $120,000 and be given Group 1 status.

Steele said the $10 million boost showed harness racing had a clear growth strategy and it was heading into the future with a lot of optimism.

“We are one year into a five-year deal with Entain. We have jointly found a way forward that benefits everyone in our sport - owners, trainers, drivers, breeders and punters.”