Racing: Trainers back Northern Steeples as centrepiece of Ellerslie's relaunch of racing's glamour events

Wise Men Say on his way to winning the Great Northern Steeples at Ellerslie last year. Photo / Trish Dunell

New Zealand's greatest jumping race looks set to be the focal point of Ellerslie's major re-launch of racing as trainers confirm they can work with the new dates for the iconic Great Northern Steeplechase.

The 6400m spectacular has been scheduled for Ellerslie on October 17 in the draft racing programme released by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing yesterday, the same day at the Group 1 Livamol Classic at Hastings.

That draft programme is open to submissions from industry participants and clubs before it is finalised and sent to the RITA dates committee to be included in the racing calendar for next season.

The October 17 meeting looms as one of the first mega days of the new season if the proposed calendar is adopted and Ellerslie bosses have confirmed they are still keen to have the iconic jumps carnival in October, even though horses usually in training might have to start from scratch next week.

"We love the Great Northern but we also wanted to make sure, that with the interruption trainers have had, they could have horses ready by then," says Ellerslie chief executive Paul Wilcox.

"So I put that to put our racing committee and they are confident it will be a goer because it is still six months away.

"That committee will take advice from trainers but as of now we are confident the Great Northerns will be able to go ahead and it provides us with a real opportunity.

"That date would be getting very close to when we usually launch our summer season and if we have the Great Northerns the same day Hastings have the Livamol and some big races in Australia it could be a chance to for us have a really big re-launch of our racing."

Wilcox, like most New Zealanders, is hoping the country will be back to an alert level 1 in a matter of months so crowds can return to racing and other events.

"Like everybody we are guided by the Government and not trying to preempt anything but if we could be back racing and allow crowds back in by then that would be special for us. We would love to welcome people back, say thanks for all the work everybody has done and have a real party to celebrate."

Leading jumps trainer Harvey Wilson, who trained the winner of both the Grand National Steeples and Great Northern Hurdles last year, says the country's best jumpers will easily be ready for the 6400m challenge three times over the famed Ellerslie hill by October even after not racing until July.

"It is still nearly six months away and you could start a horse training now and be ready for that so I don't see a traditional Great Northern Steeples being any problem for the horses," says Wilson.

Wilcox says while Ellerslie won't be able to confirm stake levels for next season until they have an exact number on funding from RITA and NZTR, the Auckland Racing Club is committed to trying to again provide the best stakes in the country.

"We won't know figures for a while but we are determined to remain an industry leader," says Wilcox.

NZTR's proposed dates calendar for the first part of next season as well as RITA's July calendar for the return of both equine codes have drawn the criticism almost every racing decision seems to draw, with one of the more vocal, and parochial arguments set to be the proposed moving of the 1000 and 2000 Guineas from Riccarton to Ellerslie and Te Rapa.