By David Polkinghorne
Up to 15 Canberra horses now have the chance to race for $400,000 during the Sydney carnival following the decision to switch from the NSW Country Championships to the Provincial ones next year.
Canberra Racing chief executive Peter Stubbs said the move was a positive one and provides a lot more chances to race for big prizemoney in the showcase series.
Canberra Racing chief executive Peter Stubbs says switching to the NSW Provincial Championships is good for Canberra horses.Credit: Rohan Thomson
Horses trained out of Thoroughbred Park can run in all five heats of the Provincial Champs, which are worth $150,000 each, with the first three runners of each heat progressing to the $400,000 final at Randwick on April 8.
Previously, they raced in the Goulburn heat of the Country Champs or the wildcard heat at Muswellbrook, with just the first two runners home progressing to the final.
Stubbs said Racing NSW had approached him about the change, which he then discussed with Canberra-base trainers, who jumped at the chance.
While it will means racing against better horses from the NSW provincial tracks at Wyong, Hawkesbury, Gosford, Kembla Grange and Newcastle, the advantages were clear.
"[Canberra trainers] were quite positive about it, it gives them an opportunity to compete in five races against [two] and the three place getters go into the final so that effectively gives them 15 chances to compete in the final," Stubbs said.
"It's pretty good prizemoney to be competing for. Our horses are quite competitive at mid-week metropolitan and Saturday races so I think we'll be quite competitive in them and I'd hope we'd have a number of horses in the final."
Stubbs said he would approach Racing NSW to see if there would be the chance to hold a heat for the Provincials in Canberra in the future.
Racing NSW general manager of industry and analytical Scott Kennedy said they would review next year's event first before thinking about any changes to the format, but the preference would be to keep the heats on NSW tracks.
Kennedy said the change would increase the depth of the fields at the Provincials, while also opening the door to other NSW country horses given the strength of the Canberra horses.
He said there hadn't been any lobbying from country trainers to make the change.
"I'd rather look and see how it works next year. After every year we review the respective series," Kennedy said.
"This measure improves the depth of the series and will make for five excellent races and give us a very, very strong final."
PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
February 23: Wyong (1350 metres)
March 2: Hawkesbury (1400m)
March 15: Gosford (1200m)
March 23: Kembla Grange (1400m)
March 29: Newcastle (1400m)
April 8: Randwick (1400m)