People want $5000 races, says Addington CEO
May 2014
This year’s annual Standardbred Breeders’ Conference was held at the Hornby Workingmen’s Club in Christchurch, on Friday May 16, where the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club’s CEO, Dean McKenzie was one of the guest speakers.
■Addington CEO Dean McKenzie speaking at the annual Standardbred Breeders’ Conference in Christchurch on Friday May 16.
At the end of the day McKenzie sat down with MC Michael Guerin for an informal interview, and to take questions from attendees. When McKenzie was asked why Addington persists in running $5000 races his reply was surprising.
“The reason we run $5000 races is because people want them. They always have the biggest fields,’’ he said.
“We make more money and have bigger field-sizes in the $5000 races than anything else,’’ he said.
He added that he believed this was because people “perceived’’ the lower-stakes races to be easier for their horses to win. That may be so but from what I have seen these races are no easier than any other to win.
In my experience as an owner, breeder, trainer and driver, who recently completed 14 months working in a professional harness racing stable, and also promotes yearlings for the annual sales, I know for certain that the $5000 prizemoney (less than $3000 to the winner after trainer and driver percentages are paid) these races provide owners is widely considered to be totally inadequate.
With this in mind, and the costs involved in racing horses sky rocketing, surely the time is well overdue for the Harness Racing New Zealand Board to set a new minimum stake level, that is reviewed annually.
The conference was attended by more than 50 breeders and harness racing officials from around New Zealand.
Please share your views with us on this topic in our forum.