"Some of the 4-year-old mares who raced last Saturday might have been headed for retirement," said HRNZ boss Edward Rennell.
"But we are hoping this will give them another aim so they won't be sold or retired."
HRNZ wants major clubs to follow suit and are hoping more of our elite 4-year-old races are opened up to 5-year-olds.
"This year, we had a small field in a race like the Taylor Mile and it is a great race so we would like to see more horses involved."
Saturday's 4-year-old male pace was won by Terror To Love, who beat a mixed bunch but had the race been open to 5-year-olds then Auckland Cup winner Sir Lincoln probably would have been a certain starter.
That is potentially good for the breeding industry, as the Jewels is one of the few racedays in New Zealand when mile racing is taken serious, with our jointly held 1:52.1 national record being set both times on Jewels day.
So top-class mares and potential stallions alike could use the Jewels as the last race of their careers as a 5-year-old and try to go out in a blaze of glory, with a creditable mile time, something our stud book could do with more of.
The downside is by allowing 5-year-olds to compete, the Jewels becomes more elitist, losing maybe some of its fairytale quality.
The best example of that is Charlemagne, who won the 4-year-old trot on Saturday at 90-1 for battling local trainer Colin Butler. Under the new conditions, Charlemagne would have missed a start.
The change to the age limit for the Jewels is the only major one made so far, with HRNZ bosses still probably months away from discussing the venues for the meeting after next year's Ashburton event.
Meanwhile, harness drivers have received a small boost, with driving fees for race meetings increasing from $65 to $70.
