The implications of the coronavirus pandemic on the TAB and the wider industry has forced an immediate overhaul of the original draft racing calendar for 2020/21 and proposes a reduction of total meetings, including 43 fewer thoroughbred fixtures.
Venues not to host meetings in the revised calendar include Avondale, Te Teko, Waipa (Te Awamutu), Gisborne, Wairoa, Waipukurau, Blenheim (Waterlea), Motukarara, Waikouaiti and Omakau.
Executive Chair of the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) Dean McKenzie said the racing calendar was a critical driver to enable the recovery of New Zealand racing and an essential part of the overall reform program being led by RITA and the three racing codes.
Dean McKenzie | Image courtesy of Race Images South
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on racing and accelerated the need for significant change across all levels of the industry.
“The leaders of New Zealand racing have repeatedly talked over decades about change, but not been courageous enough to address the critical need for venue intensification.
“Repeated reports on the industry, including most recently by John Messara, as well as the industry-led future venue plan have identified that there were too many racing venues. This was a commercial drain on limited industry resources. COVID-19 leaves us with no other choice but to act.
“COVID-19 leaves us with no other choice but to act.” – Dean McKenzie
“Over the last two years, the racing codes have undertaken considerable work identifying their optimal future venue footprint. The impact of COVID-19 has created greater financial need to accelerate the implementation of the codes’ plans.”
A key principle of the proposed changes is more meetings closer to where the horse population is trained, with resulting increased intensification at venues.
Avondale will not host any fixtures
“The racing calendar generates the revenue for the Codes that ultimately end up in the stakes that drive domestic racing,” McKenzie said.
“The draft calendar means that some venues will miss out on racing licenses, and that is regrettable, but COVID-19 makes servicing almost 60 venues simply unsustainable and unappealing to the owners and participants who travel the length and breadth of New Zealand for meetings.
“Maximising the total returns to all of racing is the goal of the racing calendar. With revenue likely to be further challenged next year, we have to cut costs and deliver the most efficient program of racing possible.”
“With revenue likely to be further challenged next year, we have to cut costs and deliver the most efficient program of racing possible.” – Dean McKenzie
The proposed meeting numbers in the draft calendar represent a 17 per cent decrease since 2009, from 328 to 273. During the same period there has been a 17 per cent decline in individual starters, from 5826 to 4812.
“Our dwindling foal crop, which has dropped 28 per cent since 2005, has resulted in a smaller pool of horses and even before COVID-19 the reduction in races was not keeping pace with the number of horses available to race,” New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Chief Executive Officer Bernard Saundry said.
“Nationally the average field size has fallen from 11.12 to 10.49 in 2019 and will have declined further by end of 2020.”
Bernard Saundry
McKenzie said this week’s announcement by the Government of two synthetic racing tracks didn’t feature in the draft racing calendar for 2020/21 as it was unlikely these would be built in time to support racing this season.
“The draft calendar includes six meetings at the Cambridge synthetic track, which is currently being developed.
“Having another two world-class synthetic tracks operational in the near future will provide a further opportunity to review our racing venue footprint and ensure the industry delivers on the ambition laid by the Racing Minister to make racing great again.”
A draft racing calendar has been released to racing clubs with consultation on the draft closing on June 15. It is expected a final calendar will be released on July 3, prior to the commencement of a new year of racing on August 1.
