by Brian de Lore
Published 7 September 2024
If New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing CEO Bruce Sharrock goes ahead with his plan to ‘kill off’ hurdle and steeplechase racing in New Zealand, he will inflict immeasurable harm upon the thoroughbred industry.
The consultation paper Sharrock released on August 5 to try and soften you up and convince you that jumping needs to go is overwhelmingly slanted against jumping and out of context with the entire thoroughbred industry.
The document is reminiscent of Mark Twain’s saying: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.” All Sharrock has done with his paper is inappropriately depict a series of graph statistics to give jumping racing a punch below the belt.
Any halfwit could take all the statistics compiled on New Zealand flat racing’s demise over the past 25 years and make a case to close it down. Mark Twain would agree with me on that.
Entain arrived 15 months ago to save New Zealand racing. And it has saved it; stakes went up 25 percent. Had they not partnered with TAB NZ at that time, stakes would have undergone a 20 percent reduction – a differential of 47 percent on what we race for this season.
West Coast led in by part-owner Henry Williamson after winning his third Grand National
The stakes are available to grow jumping racing in the winter months, and this past winter’s exciting racing has come in hurdle and steeplechase events, not the flat horses. The two star horses of the winter, The Cossack, winner of the Waikato and Wellington Steeplechases at his past two starts, and West Coast, winner of the Koral and Grand National Steeplechases at his past two
Nothing on the flat came near these four races for exciting racing, especially in the 18 race meetings on the poly tracks at Cambridge, Awapuni and Riccarton in June, July and August, which more often than not threw up poor quality horses in small fields.
The synthetic tracks have their place in the winter months; some trainers like them, and some don’t. But racing’s future survival will not depend on mediocrity – and what those tracks deliver is precisely that. Racing needs the stars to excite racing people – Imperatriz, Orchestral, Crocetti, The Cossack, West Coast, etc.
We all know there’s a problem with jockey numbers, but this has arisen due to an inactive NZTR administration over many years. They have done nothing to address the jockey issue except shrink the number of Highweight races from almost one each race meeting to a handful for the year, thus disincentivising the jumping jockeys from staying in the game or attracting new ones from overseas.
Trainer John Wheeler summed it up succinctly when he wrote in his submission: “Three years ago, at a meeting in Hawkes Bay attended by jumping enthusiasts and two NZTR representatives, we addressed the shortage of riders. We were assured that NZTR would take action, but nothing has been done.”
John Wheeler advertised for jockeys in UK and Ireland
John continued: “Personally, I took the initiative to advertise in the UK and Ireland for jump riders, resulting in interest from Joshua Parker and Bradley Roberts, though he, unfortunately, returned home soon after arriving.”
Daniel Nakhle also got proactive about the shortage of jockeys and can take the credit for bringing in our current champion jockey of 2023-24, Warren Kennedy. Why should it be left to owners and trainers to bring jockeys into the country, which benefits the whole industry?
NZTR has simply become the registrar of thoroughbred births, deaths and marriages with a strong focus on animal welfare, health & safety and rehoming – commendable stuff, but it won’t be enough to save us. Where’s the vision, the creativity, and addressing the issues at the coalface of racing, such as the absence of jockeys?
Over 100 submissions have reputedly been lodged at NZTR this week in response to the Sharrock consultation paper. John Wheeler is as experienced as anyone currently in racing, and it’s worth quoting more of his submission.
John Wheeler: NZTR presented manipulated figures
John said: ”NZTR’s communication on this issue, such as racing statistics, seems designed to undermine jumps racing by presenting manipulated figures that cast the sector in a negative light, without highlighting any positives.
“Despite the lack of support, the jump racing sector has not only survived but thrived. This season has seen strong fields, increased jumpers, more young people involved, and well-attended jump racing events, which is promising for the future. It’s important to remember that many of New Zealand and Australia’s best trainers of staff have come from a jumper or amateur rider background.”
Former journalist and NZTR employee Mary Burgess has submitted a detailed submission. It’s too long to reproduce here, but here’s an excerpt from her post on Facebook this week:
“Last season – 2023-24 – 152 jumpers lined up in 73 jumps races, but just 36 of those horses restricted themselves to jumps races. The other 116 raced 508 times on the flat, an average 4.3 starts each. Add to that their 566 starts in either hurdle or steeplechase races and overall, our “jumpers” averaged 7.06 starts each.
“If you applied the average per horse turnover figure from the 2022-23 NZTR Annual Report (the 2023-24 one not yet available online) then that’s around $17.7m they contribute to the total NZ Turnover.
“How about another stat which might surprise you – 19.83% of our jumpers (23 in total) actually raced on the Awapuni or Cambridge synthetic tracks.
“So, let’s agree that jumpers aren’t just jumpers, and NZTR needs to consider the impact they have across the season.
Mary Burgess: Getting rid of jumpers creates a welfare issue
“To get rid of jumping would be to create a welfare issue with these 152 horses, and the many, many, many more currently going through the process to get their jumping tickets, tipped out of racing and flooding the rehoming market.”
Mary makes an excellent point about the crossover of jumping horses that race on the flat. Getting rid of jumpers will also get rid of people. NZTR needs a plan to retain all its current supporters and find new ones – not downsize and contract the industry.
One of the Sharrock document stats depicts the field size argument. Below the graph, the caption says: “Average field size in jumps races has stayed in a range between 8 and the low 9s (compared to flat size average of 10.54).”
It’s a poor argument when you look at today’s Hastings races. The listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy for three-year-olds is worth $90,000 but has only eight acceptors, and the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes worth $120,000 has only ten acceptors. Since the year 2000, NZTR has reduced the number of races programmed annually from around 3000 to 2300 to keep flat racing field sizes above 10.
New Zealand has 28 hunt clubs, of which 18 once staged race days. Today, only two clubs are still involved, the Pakuranga Hunt and the Rotorua-Bay of Plenty Hunt. Can the hunt clubs be reengaged? Historically, hunting, point-to-point racing, hurdling, and steeplechasing had a strong connection and crossover of participants, but over the years, they appear to have drifted apart.
Finally, NZTR has reportedly received over 100 submissions in response to the Sharrock consultation document on jumping. What are the chances of all the board at NZTR reading all the submissions and taking all the arguments into account, or is this process simply an exercise of going through the motions?
It goes against every facet of common sense to even think of banning jumps racing. Many of the highest achievers in racing worldwide on the level started their careers with jumpers. Instead of perpetrating this foolish idea might one suggest that Sharrock takes a holiday in Britain this NZ summer and goes racing over jumps every day for a month. It will open his eyes. It is flat racing in England that is under threat and jump racing is thriving. Personally I started my career in racing/breeding with UK jumpers and rode them bred them and raced them. Once in NZ I bred and raced flat horses. I recall wishing to try a winning staying mare in the SI over jumps but was told it was as there was no one at Riccarton able to school them. Pathetic. The problem is not enough jumps races! If there were more opportunities more folk would be involved. Jump racing is great for punters too.
John, well said, you make very valid points. What we are dealing with here is feverous ignorance allied with an over-exuberance to wield power on the road to self-destruction. What is more dangerous than someone filled with the illusion of knowledge? Hope you are well, cheers Brian
I have been in NZ since 1991.
when I was first here racing here was fun, well run, and hugely enjoyable. There were many small breeders, many farmers had a few mares in theurboaddocks, horses were looked after by people who knew how to look after them. The feed company’s made basic feed, and the horse industry was bot run by parasites.
very sadly now every year standards go down, less and less people who are so called running the Industry actually KNOW anything about horses, know anything about the History of Racing, know anything about the Oattern and why it exists, soon we will need to say existed.
and as for getting rid of jumping! or Nationsl Hunt , as it was called . what a loss that would be.
Jumping is in many ways the Pinacle!
Some of the greatest racing.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup . what a race what a history.
Another kind of racing that we are losing is staying races , so much great racing being listbtonCHEAP SPEED.
Please can the men and women who actually understand racing and horses and sport come back and the new people who really do not , go.
The saddest thing to see is how Greed and Glitz and Ignorance has taken over.
I totally agree , I grew up schooling horses for Eric Temperton from the age of 13 it was wonderful for me to be able to ride jumpers alongside my brothers or Bubs Jenkins Clem Goss and other amazing jockeys at Awapuni , it is interesting that most of Erics jumpers were also open class horses, schooling sharpened them for flat racing and relieved their boredom of mindless circles Eric said .
Well said, Henrietta.
Agree wholeheartedly.
Totally agree Henrietta…
Now lets stand back and look at the big picture… Galway , Ireland and others like U. K. build
their jumping races around a big picture of potential export, tourism and other events.
What is wrong with building our Carnival in Christchurch around a great winter event with
linking also with other areas of the South Island.
Last year attended Galway Carnival for a week of jumping plus races… there is such a demand for this fabulous event we had to book in January, for lunch tickets for an event in August.
Wow they sure know how to promote great jumping races.. as they do in U. K.
Lets now not look at just some small option.. we need to build a larger vision that also includes
potential export to be part of the jumping racing also Victoria as an Australian event. As a person, who also had a great deal of success with jumpers, lets not roll over this time… lets make this
something that can be seen like others overseas, a way to build something special. People will come for the excitement … and also the events.
Dame Wendy Pye.
Totally agree 👍
Very well said Henrietta
This would be a huge backwards step for all of who enjoy ,not only summer racing ,but look forward to the jumps season and all of the good horsemen involved with the jumpers.
As (an old) lifelong follower of racing, the most spectacular races I have ever seen have been the Great Northern, Grand National Steeplechases and the like. Those races and the “big” cup races enthralled us with the real courage of the contestants.
I guess that the plan is to feed us a constant flow of slow horses on an artificial surface to cater for both the slow horses and the on-line gambler to maximise the dollar churn.
The real decider won’t be what is judged to be “spectacular” or even entertaining it will be a sprint or 2000m repeated over and over again to generate money.
Are there alternatives, probably not many, and anyway what’s the point.
The plans are already in place and corporates are like the Titanic!!