Going cold turkey
Punters are being asked to kick the habit for the first time in Addington Raceway’s 118-year history on Friday night.
The home of the Metropolitan Trotting Club will host what is thought to be the first ever smokefree harness racing meeting in New Zealand.
Addington’s bold initiative comes less than a week after the smokefree Daffodil Raceday at Hastings on Saturday. That was believed to be the first thoroughbred smokefree race meeting in New Zealand.
Friday’s meeting will be the first harness racing event of the Daffodil Racedays – a joint venture between the New Zealand Racing Board (NZRB), New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) to raise money and awareness for the cancer society.
Addington’s acting chief executive Brian Thompson said the decision to go smokefree for the night was a no brainer that required little discussion.
‘‘It’s a great way to show support for the Cancer Society,’’ he said.
Initial feedback has been positive but there will be no heavy handed enforcement for those who do light up.
Anyone found smoking by ‘Smokefree Stipendiary Stewards’ at Addington, will be asked to make a donation to the Cancer Society for their breach of the smokefree rule.
Thompson was confident the smokefree policy will be supported and his optimism will be further boosted by the results from the Hastings experiment.
Hawke’s Bay Racing chief executive Andrew Castles said reaction to the smokefree policy at Hastings on Tarzino Trophy day had been positive. He did not receive any complaints or negative comments.
‘‘Our on-course turnover was up 30 per cent on last year and that was on a cold wet day,’’ he said.
Addington will look to form a partnership with the Cancer Society and has chosen it to be one of their charities of choice in the lead up to Cup Week.
The smokefree race night coincides with the release of 1000 Dexter Dunn bobbleheads. The bobbleheads are in recognition of Dunn becoming the youngest driver to achieve 2000 wins on New Zealand soil and the profits from the sale of the bobbleheads will go to the Cancer Society.
The Cancer Society is a nongovernment organisation totally reliant on community support and donations.
Elizabeth Chesterman, chief executive of the Cancer Society’s Canterbury-West Coast Division was delighted Addington had chosen to go smokefree for the evening and said it recognised the importance of the Cancer Society’s goal to make New Zealand Smokefree by 2025.