Racing: All-weather surface on agenda

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing is considering an all-weather surface, and perhaps more than one.

"We are not just talking about racing surfaces but training tracks as well," chairman Guy Sargent told yesterday's meeting.

"If you hold trials at a training centre for say, a month, it's got to be an advantage for spring horses getting ready for the likes of the Hawkes Bay carnival where the big money is."

Sargent said ballpark figures were $2 million for an all-weather training track and $6 million-$8 million for an all-weather racing surface.

Sargent was questioned by a delegate about whether the industry could afford an all-weather track when it was impossible to predict where and when the bad weather would be.

"I am worried we will end up squandering the [financial] reserves that have been squandered in the past," the delegate said.

Sargent agreed that was a fair point but said initial thinking was that such tracks would be close to main horse populations.

"We cancelled 12 meetings this year and we cannot afford that," he said.

- NZPA