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Distribution Announcement

West Australian Racing

$10M industry funding announcement sets the platform to revitalise the WA racing industry




Industry
















Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) has today announced it will provide $168.4 million in funding to the State’s racing industry for 2020, representing a 6.9% increase over the 2019 financial year. 



The $10.6 million increase in funding will support key focus areas identified as fundamental to the improvement of Western Australian racing, with industry sustainability and relevance at the forefront.



Thoroughbred trainers and owners are set to be major beneficiaries with a $3.8 million increase in prizemoney across midweek metropolitan and inner provincial race meetings, as well as a further $1.1M allocated to the Westspeed Scheme to meet the increased frequency of Westspeed Platinum winners within the last 12-months.



“A vast majority of thoroughbred’s race at mid-week metropolitan or inner provincial class race meetings, for most of their careers,” said RWWA CEO, Richard Burt.



“By increasing prizemoney for these races, it distributes more prizemoney to an increased number of owners and trainers, and provides them importantly with a more sustainable return.”



RWWA is also focused on revitalising the relevance of the thoroughbred code, by dedicating $1.75 million in funding towards marketing and digital content strategies focused on ownership, post-racing equine welfare, and the newly created thoroughbred brand The Races WA.



A major announcement for greyhound racing will see RWWA commit to the introduction of seven day racing, along with targeted prizemoney increases to 490m+ and City Class races to enhance returns to industry participants. 



RWWA’s priority for the harness code is the implementation of the New Business Model to improve the commercial competitiveness and generate greater wagering returns that can then be reinvested back to industry via distribution.



As announced previously in December 2018, RWWA has also approved in principle, subject to business cases, $23 million in funding for new thoroughbred racing infrastructure, including the re-development of the Bunbury racecourse to provide an engineered year-round turf racing surface as well as the construction of a second turn at the Pinjarra racecourse, with both projects to commence within FY20. A further, $600,000 will be made available for essential racing infrastructure grants across all three codes.



“Traditional distribution areas including stakes funding, breeding schemes, rider and driver payments, event fees and subsidies benefiting clubs will continue to be supported,” said Mr Burt.



“RWWA is committed to providing distribution that will continue to deliver a quality racing product to increase wagering turnover and raceday attendance to generate revenue streams for our industry, resulting in sustainable returns to our owners to maintain and grow their investment in the Western Australian racing industry.”



The State’s racing industry is funded via the profits made by the Western Australia TAB together with income generated via the Western Australia race bets levy paid by national wagering operators and part proceeds from the point of consumption wagering tax.



New funding areas for FY20:



Thoroughbreds:




  • $3.81M: prizemoney increases to midweek metropolitan and inner provincial race meetings

  • $1.1M: increase in Westspeed to meet the increased frequency of Westspeed Platinum winners within the last 12-months

  • $350K: increase in jockey race ride and trial fees

  • $54K: upgrading of Broome Turf Club’s vision service to be consistent with all SKY thoroughbred venues

  • $1.75M: ownership, marketing and digital content strategies



Greyhounds:




  • $715K: commitment to introduction of seven day per week racing – club funding

  • $528K: additional prizemoney for 490m+ and City Class races

  • $375K: increase in trainers subsidy for 490m+ races

  • $228K: WestChase stimulus package

  • $225K: prizemoney for hosting of the 2019 National Championships at Cannington

  • $97K: full implementation of retired greyhound sterilisation and dental subsidy

  • $95K: increase in feature prizemoney levels and upgrading feature races

  • $54K: increase towards the full implementation of the Track Injury Rebate Scheme



Harness:




  • $309K: increase to deliver full-year effect of the New Business Model

  • $430K: an additional 43 feature races for 4YO+ Westbreds to extend the earning opportunity for owners of Westbred horses

Comments

  • 2lifetimewinners2lifetimewinners    508 posts
    Bye Bye Harness Racing

    savethegame, Manchild, TrackBias likes this post.

  • Ridersonthestorm33Ridersonthestorm33    10,809 posts
    edited June 2019
    Wow on face value looks a big pie - then hey harness here's a few crumbs for you.

    Deservedly so ? I'm not understanding of the intracicies of it all, but am sure people are.
  • TheDivaTheDiva    13,246 posts
    I dont mind the 9 races Saturday and Sunday idea with less races midweek.
    obviously there's better turnover on the weekends when people are not at work. 
  • TheDivaTheDiva    13,246 posts

    ·        
    Midweek
    Metropolitan race meetings will be programmed with seven races per meeting,
    with prizemoney levels ranging from maiden races at $20,000, rating based
    handicap races at $25,000 and 2yo, 3yo and 0MWLY races at $30,000.

    ·        
    Inner Provincial
    race meetings will be programmed with seven races per midweek meeting, and
    eight for Sunday race meetings, with a prizemoney level of $20,000 for maiden
    races and $25,000 for handicap events.

    ·        
    Reduction of
    midweek Metropolitan and Provincial meetings to seven races will allow all
    Metropolitan Saturday’s to run a ninth race, which will be a $30K race
    restricted to Westspeed Platinum horses only.

  • The_BullThe_Bull    918 posts
    edited June 2019
    TheDiva said:

    I dont mind the 9 races Saturday and Sunday idea with less races midweek.

    obviously there's better turnover on the weekends when people are not at work. 
    But there is barely enough Saturday class horses to fill an 8 card program now.

    edit, just saw your 2nd post come up.

    So the 9th race on a Saturday will now become a $30,000 Bob Peters benefit. 

    oldhendo, paraletic, hash, RIO likes this post.

  • TheDivaTheDiva    13,246 posts
    yes, they have missed the point of promotion. I was just discussing this last night with a group out to dinner. 

    Racing is more about the experience than it is about the money (unless you are bob). The casual racehorse owner wants the experience and we dont promote to new owners very well in WA. 

    If you go to Caulfield as an owner, its an outstanding day out... they get a free feed, they have several of their own bars and viewing areas to visit... they have access to the jocks and the trainers... they really get a good day out and the use of fantastic facilities. 

    When I meet a group of owners at the races in WA... we get a mounting yard pass... then we go to a public bar before and after the race... and thats about it (unless you're lucky enough to win a race on a Saturday... then you get a free beer or two and a sandwhich). We really can do a lot better and we need to look after all owners and make them feel more special than the general public... even when they lose. 

    Our philosophy and our strategy on ownership in WA needs a complete rethink. No need to re-invent the wheel.. they're doing it well in Vic and NSW and hence their ownership numbers are on the rise. copy and paste... 

    image

    The_Bull, Gilgamesh, Manchild, Chelsea, Bucks likes this post.

  • The_BullThe_Bull    918 posts
    edited June 2019
    I'm not saying we can't create a much better more welcoming raceday experience for owners in WA, as I'm convinced we need to, but surely the state by state economic situation is a much bigger driver of the above figures?

    https://www.commsec.com.au/stateofstates
  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    edited June 2019
    Yes, our population has dropped by 5% for starters..
    Especially in the prime target market - young high earners. .
  • TheDivaTheDiva    13,246 posts
    yes, it should be... but just pouring the money into prizemoney wont arrest the declining owner numbers I dont think. Maybe a chunk of that should have been allocated to each race club for "improvement of the owner experience". 

    The_Bull, Manchild, TrackBias, jum likes this post.

  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    Hear what you’re saying there......
    Although I’d prefer just “show me the money...!”
    :))
  • TheDivaTheDiva    13,246 posts
    you're an accountant...  8-|

    GaryH, RIO likes this post.

  • UttsyUttsy    129 posts
    The_Bull said:

    TheDiva said:

    I dont mind the 9 races Saturday and Sunday idea with less races midweek.

    obviously there's better turnover on the weekends when people are not at work. 
    But there is barely enough Saturday class horses to fill an 8 card program now.

    edit, just saw your 2nd post come up.

    So the 9th race on a Saturday will now become a $30,000 Bob Peters benefit. 
    The 30k race is for Westspeed Platinum horses only, ie horses that are sired by WA stallions.

    Its actually a race that Bob probably wont ever have a horse in!

    Thats how I understand it anyway.

    H-BOMBER, Chelsea, Dharris likes this post.

  • saxonsaxoffsaxonsaxoff    179 posts
    In addition to all of that in Victoria you are also issued with an Owners gold card. This gets you free admission to non-feature racedays even when your horses isn't racing. On the days your horse races on top of mounting yard passes you also get members area access as well for the day. 
    I think my favorite quirk is you are expected to adhere to members dress codes to access the mounting yard at Belmont/Ascot when you have a horse in yet they don't give you members access. 

    TheDiva, RIO likes this post.

  • The_BullThe_Bull    918 posts
    You're right. That makes sense.
  • ManchildManchild    679 posts
    Bob does not use West Australian based sires.

    Dharris likes this post.

  • trustygustytrustygusty    103 posts
    Manchild said:

    Bob does not use West Australian based sires.





    As long as the breeder is from WA a horse bred over east can be paid up westspeed as I am led to believe? Correct me if I am wrong
  • The_BullThe_Bull    918 posts
    Westspeed platinum is for WA stallions who have paid up for the scheme.
  • TheDivaTheDiva    13,246 posts

    In addition to all of that in Victoria you are also issued with an Owners gold card. This gets you free admission to non-feature racedays even when your horses isn't racing. On the days your horse races on top of mounting yard passes you also get members area access as well for the day. 

    I think my favorite quirk is you are expected to adhere to members dress codes to access the mounting yard at Belmont/Ascot when you have a horse in yet they don't give you members access. 
    spot on Saxon... owners have to look the part (at least on a saturday) but essentially all dressed up with no place to go. 
  • trustygustytrustygusty    103 posts
    The_Bull said:

    Westspeed platinum is for WA stallions who have paid up for the scheme.



    Thanks for that Bull
  • TheDivaTheDiva    13,246 posts
    these are the kinds of things racingnsw and vicracing are doing to increase interest in ownership. Very simple initiative...

  • GilgameshGilgamesh    4,718 posts
    @TheDiva

    You are bang on with the need to improve the ownership experience.

    From my recent experience I have decided I'd be better off just picking out a horse I like the breeding of and having a couple of hundred on it every time it goes around rather than taking a share in another one.

    TheDiva, oldhendo, RIO likes this post.

  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts
    Any increase in stakes money is a good thing, especially when it is done at a base level, but having restricted racing is just dumbing down the pool of talent further. Sure you won't have to take on Bob Peters and his Interstate bred bluebloods, but you're only fooling yourself into believing you have quality. It's bad enough listening to the **** about our Group Racing from the inbred media but now it's heading towards the World Wrestling Federation in credibility.

    If RWWA and Breeders had been in any way serious, they would have simply removed the clause allowing Westspeed bonus payments to anything not dropped to the ground in this State. Nothing else needed to be done. Propping up a weak gene pool with additional payments then asking WA Breeders to forego possibly breeding correctly and breeding to a price point is simply the thought process of a simple mind.


    Dharris likes this post.

  • paraleticparaletic    3,750 posts
    edited June 2019
    Increasing prize money is great, you just have to win the races to cop your share. And in WA its pretty bloody hard.

    In george costanza terms, bob is rolling around with a zippo and the rest of us are rubbing two sticks together. Thats the comparison.

    RIO likes this post.

  • NevershowsurpriseNevershowsurprise    995 posts
    Perth is the easiest place in Australia to win races on a Saturday Para.

    TheSwooper likes this post.

  • DamienWyerDamienWyer    7,660 posts
    Listening briefly to David Hunter this morning on Racing Radio and he said on more than one occasion, that this process was a collaboration between RWWA and Breeders. Well that's great that they both were involved but it doesn't make it correct outcome.

    Look at the end of the day, just speaking for myself, I buy mostly with the intent of trying to get the best on offer in a sale. It rarely works but sometimes it does. It's about a lot of things, but long before I get to see stock weeks ahead of a sale, I am grading stock according to their breeding. A poorly bred horse can win races but if you have other issues it's just making the mountain higher. A well bred horse with issues still has the genetic material that might make a difference but breeding low quality mares to under performing stallions is not a recipe I have heard anywhere for success.

    Good luck to WA Breeders going forward and yes I will be looking at everything offered, but I'm not buying for restricted racing.
  • TiversTivers    7,720 posts
    Majority of breeders were in favour of retaining WestSpeed eligibility (in a reduced amount) for E/s Sired / WA "Bred" horses.
    Removing that actually worsens the situation you describe - if we stop bringing in outside blood, it "weakens the gene pool" even worse.
    So you actually need incentives to do exactly that (bring in outside bred).
    We do it for exactly that reason - provide diversity in our band.
    If there was no WS eligibility for sure we'd breed 100% to WA stallions, but we'd also be doing it for about 5 years then selling up / getting out, as it wouldn't be sustainable much past that.

    thefalcon, Chelsea likes this post.

  • sonnysonny    1,054 posts
    Well said Tivers...
  • ManchildManchild    679 posts
    I will not punt on the trots , they have some integrity issues.
  • sonnysonny    1,054 posts
    If it WA wasn't so far away from the eastern seaboard many would have relocated ages ago...What a shame that this great industry is so rapidly declining with the help of those who are supposed to finance and listen.. imo..

    Thewogboys, TrackBias, RIO, Chelsea likes this post.

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