News

Trainers brace for drop in prizemoney

20th May 2009

Sydney Morning Herald - Chris Roots & Craig Young - Thursday, 21 May 2009

RACING NSW officials have reportedly told the NSW Trainers' Association to brace for 20 per cent cuts to prizemoney.

Trainers' representatives met Racing NSW chairman Alan Brown, chief executive Peter V'Landys and other officials last week and were painted a bleak future for racing. NSWTA president Anthony Cummings was not at the meeting but threw his support behind the race-fields legislation, which appears the only way to plug the $10 million hole in the prizemoney budget.

"If the tote isn't protected and bookmakers are suing anyone wanting to protect [the race-fields] bill the money flow will be affected," he said. "It is illogical to expect anything else."

Provincial clubs met yesterday and vowed to keep prizemoney at current levels until the end of 2009, despite the drop in TAB distribution. Cummings says it is time the State Government protected the industry, which has boosted the state's coffers for more than 100 years.

"It has been a cash cow for both the government and racing for so long," he said. "A mechanism has to be found to make bookmakers pay their share, which [will have] a positive effect on the cash flow of the industry."

Betfair chief executive Andrew Twaits says the race-fields legislation is designed to put betting exchanges and bookmakers out of business. Betfair has already won a High Court decision against the West Australian Government over advertising rights and has challenged the NSW race-fields legislation.

Meanwhile, Queensland racing officials will inspect the track this morning ahead of Saturday's vital Doomben 10,000 meeting after heavy rainfall in and around Brisbane. By 4pm yesterday more than 200 millimetres of rain had fallen in 48 hours. Apache Cat heads the 17-strong field for the group 1, 1350-metre sprint.

The final race at Rosehill was delayed yesterday due to poor visibility but after senior jockeys Jim Cassidy and Kerrin McEvoy met stewards Mark Van Gestel and Steve Railton the riders agreed to proceed with the race.

The most impressive winner on the seven-race card was the Bart Cummings-trained debutant So You Think.