Chief Stipe Posted May 19 Posted May 19 Ellerslie elevated - ‘A’ grade Auckland Racing Club venue key as NZTR’s reclassifies all Kiwi racecourses – The Straight thestraight.com.au Ellerslie will become New Zealand’s premier racecourse and one of five metropolitan venues under changes unveiled by the thoroughbred industry regulator.https://bitofayarn.com New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) provided an update to its clubs on Tuesday, revealing that Te Rapa, Hastings, Trentham and Riccarton would all be viewed as metropolitan status racecourses. There will be 18 provincial tracks – including Pukekohe, Matamata, Tauranga and Otaki – while there will be 11 community venues next season, including the country’s three synthetic courses at Cambridge, Awapuni and Riccarton. https://bitofayarn.com In a further reclassification of New Zealand’s racecourses, metropolitan and provincial tracks will also be split into A and B category race clubs. Ellerslie, based in New Zealand’s most populated city of Auckland, is the only metropolitan venue to be fit into category A with the four other metropolitan clubs deemed to be B venues. https://bitofayarn.com Eight of the 18 provincial tracks are classified as A level clubs, with 10 classified as B. “Category placement for next season has been determined on a number of factors including geographical location, proximity to other racing venues, population, race meeting volume, wagering turnover, access to horse populations, and quality of horses racing at the venue,” the document sent to clubs by NZTR said. “This work is about ensuring the industry is in the strongest possible position at the conclusion of the current five-year minimum funding guarantee period and aligning a model that supports long-term sustainability beyond that timeframe. “The revised venue structure is expected to improve programming outcomes for all participants, enabling horses more regular opportunities for the betterment of turnover.” In seeking clarification about what the A and B categories for race clubs and tracks means, NZTR general manager of racing Mitch Lamb confirmed to The Straight on Tuesday night that the three categories and A and B levels would determine the minimum prize money levels provided to clubs by the regulator. “It will play into our club and stakes funding model. We’re still working through, obviously, the finalisation of what those levels will look like next year but essentially those A and B categories will fit into the races that are run at those venues and the minimum stakes tied into them,” Lamb said. https://bitofayarn.com “(It’s the) same with our club funding model (where) certain actions are taken within the club funding model. “Those A and B level categories will tie into the funding received by clubs that are attached to those venues.” NZTR has not yet been able to confirm its prize money levels for next season as it is locked in negotiations with TAB NZ about what its guaranteed funding will be. It comes amid predictions by some industry people from outside the regulator that it is facing a financial black hole of up to $16 million next season. On Friday, NZTR chief executive Matt Ballesty played down budgetary concerns or that stake money may have to be heavily slashed. “Our preference has always been to maintain or grow (stake money) and that’s where we’ve really focused and think that’s shared by the TAB and Entain, of course,” Ballesty told this publication last week. “It’d be a welcome outcome for all participants and I don’t have any reason to believe it won’t be, but we just don’t know until we’ve got a clearer idea of what funding we’ve got to work with. “Our focus is making sure we’re running NZTR in the best way possible, working on our costs and our outputs.” The focus on Ellerslie, as New Zealand’s premier track and highest-ranked venue for wagering turnover, is set to take on even greater prominence for the regulator next season. The tracks favoured most by punters are also likely to be the big winners when it comes to the release of the race date calendar on Wednesday. “A key objective of the model is ensuring the best available horses are racing at the most appropriate venues, at the right times of the season, to maximise industry performance,” NZTR told clubs. “NZTR will continue to prioritise investment into high-performing wagering venues, supporting reliability and optimal utilisation of racing infrastructure. “Data and performance trends will continue to inform future decisions, and the new framework is intended to provide greater flexibility and precision in how those decisions are made.” NZTR plans to unveil its racing fixture for the 2026/27 season at 10am (NZ time) on Wednesday. NZTR categories of racecourses for 2026/27 Metropolitan Ellerslie (A) Te Rapa (B) Hastings (B) Trentham (B) Riccarton (B) Provincial Pukekohe (A) Matamata (A) Tauranga (A) New Plymouth (A) Otaki (A) Wanganui (A) Ashburton (A) Wingatui (A) Rotorua (B) https://bitofayarn.com Taupo (B) Te Aroha (B) Ruakaka (B) Hawera (B) Timaru (B) Woodville (B) Waverley (B) Invercargill (B) Riverton (B) Community Cambridge Synthetic Awapuni Synthetic Riccarton Synthetic Tauherenikau Waipukurau Kumara Greymouth Reefton Cromwell Gore Kurow Oamaru 1 Quote
Chief Stipe Posted May 19 Author Posted May 19 Club Venue Categorisation Update - NZTR nztr.co.nz Beginning August 1, alongside the start of the 2026/27 Racing Season, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) will be introducing a new national venue categorisation framework. Each active New Zealand thoroughbred venue will be placed into one of three strategic categories: Metropolitan, Provincial, or Community. https://bitofayarn.com The framework will guide how NZTR distributes code funding through both base stakes levels and club funding, with the current models for each being updated to align with the venue categorisation structure. While the outcomes of Project Stamina will determine the longer-term future of the venue makeup for the industry, the venue categorisation forms part of a wider racing strategy for next season and will help establish a nationally consistent approach to defining the role of each active thoroughbred venue.https://bitofayarn.com Category placement for next season has been determined on a number of factors including geographical location, proximity to other racing venues, population, race meeting volume, wagering turnover, access to horse populations, and quality of horses racing at the venue. This work is about ensuring the industry is in the strongest possible position at the conclusion of the current five-year minimum funding guarantee period and aligning a model that supports long-term sustainability beyond that timeframe. The revised venue structure is expected to improve programming outcomes for all participants, enabling horses more regular opportunities for the betterment of turnover.https://bitofayarn.com The industry has seen some positives this season with field sizes and wagering. Alongside the wider changes to come with Project Stamina, NZTR believes it is important the code continues to evolve and position itself to maximise industry returns, with the support of our partner Entain. For both stakes and club funding purposes, both the Metropolitan and Provincial levels will be split into “A” and “B” venues, which will help right size those levels throughout the country – the aim being to better recognise regional industry investment levels, develop options to reward operational club excellence, and find the right balance between horse participation/ability and producing a product that consistently stimulates betting interest. https://bitofayarn.com As part of the new framework, the current raceday descriptions of Iconic, Premier, Feature and Industry racedays will be removed. A key objective of the model is ensuring the best available horses are racing at the most appropriate venues, at the right times of the season, to maximise industry performance. NZTR will continue to prioritise investment into high-performing wagering venues, supporting reliability and optimal utilisation of racing infrastructure. Data and performance trends will continue to inform future decisions, and the new framework is intended to provide greater flexibility and precision in how those decisions are made. Further detail on the implementation approach and timing will be shared with industry in coming weeks as work progresses alongside Project Stamina, confirmation of funding levels, and the NZTR Funding Policies for the 2026/2027 Season.https://bitofayarn.com 2026/27 Venue Categorisation – Full Venue List Metropolitan For funding purposes, Metro venues are further divided into categories A and B. For 2026–27 Season, the Metropolitan venues are: Ellerslie (A) Te Rapa (B) Hastings (B) Trentham (B) Riccarton (B) Provincial For funding purposes, Provincial venues are further divided into categories A and B. https://bitofayarn.com For 2026–27 Season, the Provincial venues are: Pukekohe (A) Matamata (A) Tauranga (A) New Plymouth (A) Otaki (A) Wanganui (A) Ashburton (A) Wingatui (A) Rotorua (B) Taupo (B) Te Aroha (B) Ruakaka (B) Hawera (B) Timaru (B) Woodville (B) Waverley (B) Invercargill (B) Riverton (B) Community For 2026–27 Season, the Community venues are: Cambridge Synthetic https://bitofayarn.com Awapuni Synthetic Riccarton Synthetic Tauherenikau Waipukurau Kumara Greymouth Reefton Cromwell Gore Kurow Oamaru Quote
Chief Stipe Posted May 19 Author Posted May 19 Looks like no racing in the Awapuni Turf for 2026-27 season. Quote
Murray Fish Posted Tuesday at 04:09 AM Posted Tuesday at 04:09 AM On 20/05/2026 at 8:53 AM, Chief Stipe said: Looks like no racing in the Awapuni Turf for 2026-27 season. wow.. Quote
Chief Stipe Posted Tuesday at 05:19 AM Author Posted Tuesday at 05:19 AM 1 hour ago, Murray Fish said: wow.. Yeah but that track was causing problems well before Morty got on its case. Quote
Murray Fish Posted Tuesday at 08:01 AM Posted Tuesday at 08:01 AM 2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said: Yeah but that track was causing problems well before Morty got on its case. all of my old favorite tracks seem fucked.... one by one they have it seem reached a crisis point... if place like that track don't race on those days that have drawn a crowd, will they just stop going... had to get people back to anything once the stop for a while. Quote
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