KEY POINTS:
Rarely does a decision made by one club change the way an entire section of the racing industry does business.
But that is what happened yesterday.
With racing riding the crest of a financial wave, stakes increases are almost weekly occurrences and while all are welcomed, none will have the impact of the announcement to come out of Alexandra Park.
The Auckland Trotting Club has taken a different path from Christchurch counterpart Addington by announcing their share of the recent turnover windfall will go into lower grade stakes.
That means from next month the minimum stake for a one-win or faster race at an Alexandra Park meeting on a Friday night will be $15,000, up 50 per cent.
The news has trainers the length of the country shaking their heads and means an average lower-grade Friday night race run by the Auckland Trotting Club will now be worth nearly twice what the same horse would be racing for at Addington.
The increase covers 17 meetings a season, with the eight premier meetings hosted by Alexandra Park already having $20,000 minimum stakes.
On top of the two bonus schemes in place at Alexandra Park, it means a handy three-year-old pacer could start his campaign as a maiden and finish it assessed as just a two-win horse and earn over $50,000.
All that without having to take on any rival above two-win grade.
The move follows the boost two months ago for all maiden stakes on Friday nights to $10,000.
That brings to $1.8 million the total stake increases on last season announced by ATC president Sid Holloway and vice-president Rod Croon in recent months.
Yesterday's decision will have far-reaching consequences.
When the $10,000 maidens were announced, South Island trainers started planning extended campaigns to take advantage of the stakes gap between the ATC and southern clubs.
But after yesterday's announcement some say they will inquire about leasing stables for permanent satellite stables in the north.
"That sort of stake increase is almost incomprehensible," said champion Canterbury trainer Tim Butt.
"Along with the bonuses up there, it means we will be looking to bring a big team up after November, stay for the summer and even until May."
Fellow Canterbury trainer Paul Kerr was also stunned by the increases.
"It means if you have a nice horse in those lower grades you have got to look at going north.
"I know I will be looking to bring a team up in the New Year and leave them up there for a long campaign."
Another spinoff from the increases is the retention of horses who would usually be sold to Australia.
When the $10,000 maiden stakes were announced critics claimed winning such a race meant a horse received a metropolitan penalty in Australia, making some of them harder to sell.
But with Alexandra Park offering the highest harness stakes in Australasia, sales in New Zealand seem certain to increase and exports reduce.
