Racing: Veterans lose their claim to fame

Some northern trainers fear a Harness Racing New Zealand policy change could prove a death sentence for their horses.

HRNZ has announced a change to the policy governing claiming horses, which are put in races with a price tag on their head and are available to any racenight bidder.

Claiming races are hugely popular in the United States and Australia but have yet to gain great traction here, so most claimers are older horses who have reached their mark. Trainers tend to race them as claimers so they can downgrade into easier races.

But from October 1 that is set to change, with horses only able to race as claimers in claiming-only races, and no longer able to use the system to slip into normal races.

But because the pool of claiming horses is small, particularly for trotters, trainers fear the claimers-only races may not get off the ground, leaving the veterans with no real future in the sport.

"Being able to race as claimers has saved some of these horses," said leading Alexandra Park trainer Michelle Wallis.

"If they have to go back to racing in the grades again, off their real handicaps, they will have no future on the racetrack and then you have to wonder where they will end up.

"Some of them could end up as dog food, to be honest."

Wallis fears most for trotters who race as claimers, as they are unlikely to have the numbers for claiming-only races.

"There are some lovely old trotters going around at the moment who can eke out a living racing as claimers in the grade races. But once the rules change they are virtually worthless," she said

Her sentiments were as echoed by top driver Peter Ferguson, who says the HRNZ executive were flawed in their thinking when they made the decision.

"I think it is stupid and what annoys a lot of us is that we weren't even told about it. We just read about it after it had happened," said Ferguson.

"These horses help get races off the ground, they turn over money for the industry ... for trainers and for drivers."

Ferguson says stricter thresholds on what claiming price could be asked for a horse - a move set to be implemented by northern clubs in the new season - would have been a fairer system.

"I know some people have been annoyed by claimers beating younger horses but if they have a problem with it they can always claim them. They are openly there to buy."

The issue is particularly sensitive in the North Island where clubs often struggle for full fields because of the smaller horse population.

But HRNZ boss Edward Rennell says the policy change scheduled for October 1 is not set in stone.

"We realise there are two sides to this and we will be taking submissions on the matter from clubs and kindred bodies before October," said Rennell last night.

"And even if, after those submissions, it still goes ahead we will be monitoring the effect it has on fields.

"If we think it is not working then we will look at changing it again."

Rennell says the policy change was partly voted in by the executive as a result of pressure from licence-holders upset their horses had to race against claimers.

"We had people who were disappointed their horse was just starting its career and had to take on a five or six-win horse, sometimes off levels marks.

"But we are in a no-win situation here. In some ways we are shifting the complaints from one group to another.

"But remember less than one per cent of horses racing are claimers."

STAKING A CLAIM
* Horses can often downgrade into easier races if they are entered with a claiming price.
* That means anybody with the money can buy the horse at the price stated in the official fields.
* HRNZ wants claimers only to race against other claimers and not in class races.
* Some northern trainers says that could mean the end of the line for many horses.