Up to region to save code in Manawatu

One of the key people behind saving Manawatu harness racing says it is now up to the region to prove harness racing belongs there.

The Manawatu Harness Racing Club has won back 10 dates for next season after initially being passed over in the first draft calendar, joining Avondale and Forbury Park as the big winners from the dates committee submission process.

Some of the Manawatu meetings will be mini-meetings run with the local greyhound club at Palmerston North, while harness racing in the Central Districts will also have two four-race programmes run on galloping days at Otaki and Tauherenikau.

MHRC president Dan Lynch says the club is thrilled to get some dates back but realises this is only start.

“It is up to us now to prove we can make harness racing work here. We were given a fair hearing by HRNZ and the RITA dates committee. That is what we wanted and they listened. And that has been the story of the entire process. We wanted a chance to make our case and we got it. So the ball is in our court now.”

Lynch says the support of the local greyhound club, through Paul Freeman and also GRNZ’s Michael Dore, was a big help as well.

MHRC owns its racetrack and Lynch says that gives it revenue options for the future.

“We have some land here we may not need and the local council has expressed interest in that as the city starts to spread out.

“So we have options there for developing another revenue stream.”

Interest in harness racing is still strong in the area, with many of the strong local thoroughbred community supporting the code.

“A lot of the gallops people have a share or interest in harness horses.

“I think at our last couple of meetings, around 50 per cent of the horses who started are trained in the Central Districts, so we think it is important to keep those people, and the horses, in the industry.

“But it is up to us now to make that work. That is why the mini-meetings we have programmed for February and March on the back of greyhound meetings really interest us.

“They mean we can share the expenses of running the meeting between the two clubs but giving the local horses chances to race locally.”

Lynch would also like to see a form of training internship run at the Manawatu track for a trainer from outside the area who wanted to base a race team there for the summer, and charge them no track or stabling fees.

“So if somebody out there is interested, they should get in contact.”