Darren McCall will make the whip ban his first priority after being elected president of the United Harness Racing Association at the annual general meeting on Wednesday.
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The whip ban was debated at the AGM and is concerning many of McCall's members.
"We just want more consultation and we will start by discussing the issue with Harness Racing NSW," he said.
"We understand community standards, but we believe that this is a safety and integrity issue in the sport. The fact Harness Racing Australia announced the ban from September without talking to trainers and drivers is not right.
"There has to be discussion and we need to get our point across. We understand it is not the old days and I think things have changed a lot, but there is still a need for the whip in some way in racing."
The UHRA will also push to have 12-horse fields at Menangle dropped to 10 and look at its successful sulky fund.
"Menangle was designed to have 10 horses across the front and we think having horses on the second line is a backward step," McCall said. "The sulky fund has a fair bit of money in it, so we might drop the contribution from each starter to it.
"We will soon have a website up and running to keep people informed of the issues and we are looking to grow our membership because the more members the stronger voice we will have."
Out-of-competition testing ramped up
Harness Racing NSW chief steward Graham Loch has ramped up the out-of-competition testing heading into the Carnival of Miracles.
More than 40 out-of-competition tests were conducted this week and will continue during the next month heading into the Miracle Mile at Menangle on February 25.
"This strategy will be continued in coming weeks as feature meetings and Carnival of Cups race meetings wind up," Loch said. "In addition, whilst our recent focus has been close to Sydney, similar visits are planned across the state."
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