Racing decision a real shocker

What has Otaki got that Wanganui hasn't? Well, for a start, the October horse racing meeting that meant so much to our community and, particularly, the people who rely on the services of the local Hospice.

The decision by the sport's governing body, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, to take the popular Labour Weekend meeting away from Wanganui is a mind-numbingly short-sighted shocker.

The racing industry is struggling for dollars. Breeders, owners and trainers are producing top-quality horses, only to find the winner's stakes in New Zealand are so poor, they are better off crossing the Tasman to take on the Aussies.

And with so many distractions and 24-hour racing on TV, there is a battle to get punters to the track.

That's why Wanganui's Hospice Cup was such a success - it was a community event that got businesses, punters and those who would otherwise never go near a race track involved. And it raised $10,000 or more of badly-needed money for a very important organisation.

In short, it's the sort of event NZTR should be backing.

But racing's powers-that-be are clearly wearing blinkers. They are shifting the October meeting date to Otaki in a bid to "maximise returns to industry participants".

The doubtful logic goes that Otaki is a higher-rated track and, being close to Wellington, will attract more punters. Both these assertions are questionable and it has the smack of government centralisation.

The government-owned betting organisation, the TAB, which contributes to the stake money for races, has seen an increase in turnover in the past year. Perhaps a bigger slice of those takings needs to go back to the grassroots.

Despite being big-brothered, hopefully Wanganui's racing community will find a way to keep the spirit of Hospice Cup alive, and keep on supporting that organisation.