Shackles off in harness racing
Harness Racing Victoria chief executive Dayle Brown has declared ‘the shackles are off’ and encouraged his executive management team to ‘be bold’ as the long-term strategic direction of the industry is developed.
Brown, who started at HRV in November, said harness racing had to meet the market and deliver a product that people want to consume.
“You have to look at what drives people to want to participate, what people want to support and what people want to consume,” he said.
“You have to be in the front of people’s minds and be ubiquitous – nothing is off the table going forward as we develop our strategy.”
Brown has also called on the industry to have its say in the future direction of harness racing, encouraging people to attend one of several consultation sessions across Victoria in coming months.
Brown hit the road in late December and January and will continue his visits to regional centres during February.
The sessions are open to the wider community and are an opportunity for interested peoples to give feedback to Brown and members of the HRV executive regarding the industry’s direction.
“When I go around and talk to the participants it will be great to find out what they want to see. What can we do to stimulate breeding? Race programming – we need to be bold and innovative. Wagering – what do we do in terms of our licence going forward? It’s all up for discussion,” Brown said.
Horsham Harness Racing Club will host Brown and HRV representatives tonight.
Upcoming sessions in the region are set for Charlton at 6.30pm on Monday and 6.30pm at Stawell on February 10.
Commissioner visit
An invitation is open to the community to meet Victoria’s Racing Integrity Commissioner Sal Perna for a question and answer information session at Horsham RSL from 7pm to 9pm on February 17.
The informal session is aimed to provide attendees with a greater understanding and awareness of the role and responsibilities of the commissioner, the work the office has undertaken and an overview of what is in place to ensure that the Victorian Racing Industry operates free from the influence of crime and corruption.
This session will be an opportunity to raise any questions and hear first-hand the commissioner’s perspectives on integrity in the racing industry.
Questions can be submitted in advance via e-mail to the Office of the Racing Integrity Commissioner rsvp@racingintegrity.vic.gov.au.