SA Harness Highlights - December 2, 2007

Government Acts Immediately on Change

The Harness Racing South Australia Board met with its Member Clubs recently to conduct a General Meeting which served to approve changes to their Constitution. The important changes, which took six months to work through, where identified as part of the Bentley Report, which was released in May, and paves the way for some significant financial benefits to the industry over the next decade.

Mr Goodall further said “the Harness Racing Industry has shown maturity in embracing the changes and signalling a new direction for the industry.”

Changes included a shift of voting power of one vote to the South Australian Harness Racing Club (SAHRC) and one vote to the South Australian Country Harness Racing Clubs Association (SACHRCA) where previously each individual Club in SA had one vote making it a complex process to enforce change.

The HRSA Board in future will have four Independent Members and two Industry Members.

The HRSA Board met again late last week to discuss the announcement by Racing Minister Michael Wright, that he was delivering on his promise to the Racing Industry with much needed tax relief.

Chairman, Grant Goodall said that "his Board was delighted with the Minister’s announcement and HRSA could now plan for the future with more certainty in its next business plan cycle."

"This will surely give Harness Racing SA a more stable base to work from and create a feeling of security and expectation for the South Australian Harness Racing Industry into the future that it hasn’t seen for some time," he said

Based on current TAB distribution percentages the Harness Racing Industry would receive approximately $450,000 from July 2008 increasing to an expected $1,300,000 by 2012 with the funds earmarked to go directly back into the industry participants

“This good news was timely as our industry is suffering greatly from the affects of the EI outbreak.

"This gives us great hope that when we get through the next few months we can rebuild our losses quickly.

"Harness Racing in SA had only just turned the corner putting in its best financial performance in 8 years, announcing the first stake-money increases in 8 years and releasing a 2 year plan off the highs of one of the best Inter Dominions in recent times - EI has been a cruel blow.

"The timing of the tax relief announcement could not have come at a better time to get us back on track, and for that I applaud the Minister," Mr Goodall said.

 

Raider Steals Italian Cup

A well-timed raid by leading Victorian trainer Andy Gath with former West Australian pacer Jay Pees Ruler landed the 2007 Access Civil Italian Cup in front of a bumper crowd at Globe Derby Park last Saturday night.

It is fair to say Jay Pees Ruler has not set the world on fire since arriving in Victoria earlier this year, winning just one of his seven starts, after scoring at 11 of his 30 attempts in WA.

Gath sent his charge to SA last weekend with former leading Port Pirie horseman Peter Thompson whose suggestion it was that the race looked a suitable target for the six-year-old entire who is not quite up to the top-line Victorian pacers at this stage of his career.

Jay Pees Ruler drew ideally in barrier two and with the services on premier reinsman David Harding looked hard to beat if he found the front.

And find the front he did, with Harding rating him through a comfortable middle section before scorching home to record a 1:57.6 mile which earned him a $500 bonus, but was 1.5 seconds outside the class record and well outside Be Good Johnny’s track record.

 

Monte Upstages Conte

Conte De Cristo was never a factor in the Access Civil Italian Cup last Saturday, due in most part to the barrier draw and speed off the front line forcing him to go back early and wide late.

However the Golden Grove training partnership of Joe Carbone and Peter Sergi had something to smile about in the very next race when Monterosso won his Australian debut with consummate ease.

Monterosso, a full-brother to Conte De Cristo, was a short-priced favourite after his trouble-free trial win the previous week and despite working hard in the early stages of the race was never pressured in winning by 10-metres.

The five-year-old gelding bears a striking resemblance to his older brother, with the notable exception being the way he dropped the bit and cruised through the middle sections of the race, opposed to Conte’s habit of pulling fiercely early in his Australian career.

 

Four’ Makes Three for Harding

Globe Derby reinsman David Harding edged out Jock Dunlop in the quest for drivers honours at last Saturday night’s Italian Cup meeting at Globe Derby Park.

Dunlop, also from Globe Derby, won the first and last races on the eight event card however Harding claimed the night with a winning treble that included a feature race double with Jay Pees Ruler in the Access Civil Italian Cup and Four Carat in the Caffe Primo Salisbury Rome Trotting Cup.

After leading all the way in the Italian Cup, Harding used a similar tactic in the squaregaiters feature by taking Four Carat to the lead early in the event before holding off a determined challenge from Rovers Return in the home straight to win by a head.

Harding’s treble was completed in race seven with Prez remaining undefeated from three lifetime starts in easily accounting for his fellow three-year-olds.

 

---------------

Neal Conder

HRSA Ltd