September 1, 2010
Communication with our stakeholders is a crucial component of our business.
At GRNSW we encourage feedback from all stakeholders in regards to different facets of the organisation. Looking at a more recent example, it’s why we held extensive stakeholder consultation forums throughout the Strategic Planning process and why we will be held accountable for individual projects outlined in Chasing 2020.
From next month, we will be providing you with an opportunity to ask questions directly of me which I will attempt to address in my upcoming blogs.
If you have something you would like to ask in regards to the industry, I will only be too happy to try and answer it.
Addressing as many of those questions as possible as part of Brent’s Blog will help you better understand how GRNSW intends to advance the industry.
Keep an eye out over the next month to find out how you can email your questions to GRNSW to be answered.
Last week GRNSW Stewards conducted out of competition testing for the second time this year taking over 60 samples from greyhounds statewide.
The integrity of our industry and transparency of our wagering product are of paramount importance to GRNSW and we were pleased to find out all of these samples returned negative results.
This recent batch of testing complements those taken during the Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg Carnival earlier in the year.
We will continue to be at the forefront of stamping out illegal substances in our sport under GRNSW’s ongoing prohibited substance detection strategy.
August 1, 2010
Chasing 2020, our plan setting the long term vision for the sport, was released last week.
Importantly, the plan will deliver benefits to the broad cross section of interests in the sport. Participants will benefit from increased returns and support services to assist their development, clubs via ongoing funding and tailored support packages, punters and wagering operators will continue to see improved race form services and an attractive, competitive and transparent racing product. Government will see improved infrastructure and growing taxation revenue whilst an increasing focus on animal welfare will benefit all.
The plans outlined in Chasing 2020 are both realistic and achievable, they are not reliant on hand outs, court cases or third party actions to make them happen.
Some of the projects that have been slated for completion over the first 12 months include:
- Development of a public trainer accreditation model and standard contracts that can be used by owners and trainers alike – this is part of our push to increase passive ownership in greyhound racing;
- Launch of thedogstv.com that will feature a variety of regular shows and colour pieces together with practical shows featuring leading figures in the sport;
- Embracing the new technology platforms of iPads and iPhones to deliver race from and take our racing to a new market;
- Starting to develop and implement standards for consistent preparation of race tracks across the state;
- Overhaul of GRNSW’s computer systems to deliver improved services and efficiencies to participants.
In relation to TAB racing, we will continue to implement the product expansion strategy that commenced in April with the advent of TAB C racing. The strategy aims to increase supply of TAB meetings wherever possible to maximise wagering sales, increase exposure of our sport, and deliver prizemoney and racing opportunities for participants. These meetings are proving extremely popular with participants and allow us to take TAB racing to areas of the state previously void of such racing.
I have read some criticism since we released Chasing 2020 that it doesn’t include plans to ‘slash and burn’ our sport across the state by aiming to reduce the number of tracks to an arbitrary figure, say 20 tracks.
We have no plan to systematically close tracks and reduce the opportunity of people to participate in our sport across the state. Not only is that not part of our plans, there is absolutely no reason to embark on such an approach. In the 2009 financial year, every non-TAB club in the state traded in the black – in other words all of our country clubs are viable. We have a 20 year infrastructure plan for the sport which is funded and will maintain current racing infrastructure across the state. We have also seen the highest levels of breeding activity for the last decade over the last 12 months highlighting a renewed level of confidence in the sport. This is not a time for contraction and those that continue to argue for a smaller sport to benefit a small group of participants only are out of touch with reality.
Another criticism has been an alleged failure to deal with metropolitan racing. This is completely unfounded when you consider our Metropolitan Racing Policy provides a comprehensive approach to this topic which can be viewed by
clicking here. The Policy came into place two years ago and provided for one single metropolitan race club instead of two, and provided the single club a five year licence subject to compliance with documented standards. Our sport has a licence to race at Wentworth Park that runs to 2027 and there remain ongoing discussions between the GBOTA and GRNSW about the long term direction of metropolitan racing.
You can check out
Chasing 2020 and keep up-to-date with our progress by following the links to
Chasing 2020 on thedogs.com.au. Your feedback is always welcome.
July 1, 2010
Later this month we will release the new strategic plan for greyhound racing.
It will outline a set of aspirations that will shape the direction of our sport for the next decade and identify strategies to achieve our vision.
The plan has been developed in close consultation with stakeholders and we believe presents a shared vision for how we want the sport to develop over the next decade.
Having a shared vision is incredibly important as GRNSW acting alone cannot deliver on the strategic plan, instead the ‘buy in’ and active contribution of our clubs, participants and business partners is absolutely necessary to achieve our goals.
Whilst the strategic plan is a visionary document, it will not be a plan full of unachievable goals or strategies that we are reliant on windfall gains to pursue.
Instead the plan will provide a realistic road map for the future and will be supported by yearly operational plans that will set out the steps necessary to get to where we want to be.
Stay tuned to www.thedogs.com.au over the coming weeks for all the news about the new plan.
June 1, 2010
Around 30 people recently attended our strategic planning workshop at the Greyhound Social Club from various representative groups as part of the consultation process to prepare a new plan for the sport.
We have also now received a considerable number of written submissions from interested persons and are working our way through the various ideas that have been put forward.
Strategic planning is all about identifying where the industry wants to be in say 10 years from now and how it is going to get there. This is why we are placing so much emphasis on consultation throughout the planning process with the goal of having a plan that is ‘owned’ by as many stakeholders in our sport as possible.
I anticipate that the strategic plan will be finalised and released in early July.
Last month we had a full month of TAB C racing four times a week as part of the expansion of TAB racing by GRNSW. We have been making a few changes to the race scheduling at these meetings all aimed at maximising wagering on the meetings. Betting on these meetings has been gradually climbing and is fast approaching the level that is required in the medium term to make these meetings sustainable.
More and more pubs and clubs are being better equipped to handle the new two channel set up of Sky and with 70% of betting on greyhounds occurring in retail outlets Australia wide, getting this right is not only important to our sport, but is a commercial imperative for Sky and TAB.
What has been particularly encouraging is the level of enthusiasm and the gusto with which the new clubs to the TAB circuit, Dubbo, Grafton and Wagga, have met the challenge. The lengths gone to by all these clubs in promoting their meetings in the local community is yielding results for these clubs from an on-course perspective.
May 1, 2010
Earlier this week we released the Review of Market Environment Report as part of the strategic planning process currently being undertaken by GRNSW.
The Review of Market Environment provides a fact base for strategic thinking. The document presents a range of interesting industry data and a SWOT analysis to identify the emerging trends, risks, opportunities and challenges facing greyhound racing in NSW. The report covers a wide range of areas relevant to the sport.
It shows that NSW conducts more greyhound races and maintains more racetracks than any other Australian State or Territory. NSW is also renowned for its major contribution to greyhound racing breeding stocks and current data indicates that breeding activity is reasonably strong and not in decline.
Positively, the Report demonstrates that prize money in NSW has increased significantly from 2002-2009 by 32%. Most notably, GRNSW was able to deliver an increase of over $2.5 million (14.3%) from 2007-2009. In 2010 prize money paid is projected to reach $20,129,580. This amount will help close the gap between NSW and other states in terms of the average prize money paid per race which was $2,234 in 2009, just over $190 behind that of Victoria and Western Australia when comparing TAB racing.
Sky Racing 2 provides the opportunity to increase our customer base and market share. The introduction of Race Fields Legislation provided an extra $3 million in revenue in 2009. GRNSW’s product expansion strategy and increased racing program under Sky Racing 2 aim to continue growth in Race Fields Fees revenue and in-turn provide increased returns to participants.
Gambling data demonstrates that gaming is one of the biggest threats to the sport of greyhound racing in Australia and NSW. Expenditure on gaming has continued to grow, increasing by 255% from 1994 to 2008, while expenditure on race wagering increased by only 55% from across the same period. Further, you compare race wagering turnover in NSW to that of national turnover, it is clear that the NSW industry has not benefited from the last decade of strong growth in the Australian race wagering market. This point was central to our calls to Government last year to implement in full the recommendations of the Cameron Report, a point to date that has been lost on the State Government.
The review also explores changes in the race wagering landscape, including new trends in technology and the growth of corporate bookmakers. GRNSW data demonstrates the importance of corporate bookmakers and indicates they have experienced ongoing growth in their share of NSW greyhound racing industry sales in the last two years. The strategic plan, amongst other things, will need to determine how NSW greyhound racing will embrace or combat trends in the race wagering market, in order to drive continued growth and ensure the sustainability of the sport in NSW.
Over the next month you will have your opportunity to contribute to the strategic planning process and I encourage you to do so by going to the strategic planning page at thedogs.com.au.
April 1, 2010
One of the commitments we made to members when GRNSW assumed responsibility for the regulatory affairs of the sport, was to improve the level of service experienced by members when dealing with the controlling body.
As part of this commitment to strengthen both our service offering and the delivery of that to members of the sport, this month we released our Customer Service Commitment.
Our Customer Service Commitment has been developed to provide you with information on the services we provide, the process for connecting to our services, the level of service that we aim to deliver and who you should contact at GRNSW about those services. It also outlines what is required of you when dealing with GRNSW.
I am sure you will find it a useful guide of what to expect in your dealings with us and as always I welcome your feedback on our performance.
TAB racing commenced at Dubbo and Wagga this week as part of the planned expansion of NSW greyhound racing in conjunction with the launch of Sky Racing 2. The initial response to these meetings particularly from members in country areas has been overwhelming. Only this week it was confirmed that permanent TAB racing will also shortly commence at Grafton as well.
These meetings are pegged at 50 per cent prizemoney levels when compared to our current TAB meetings and are treated as a different category of race meeting (TAB C) for grading purposes. We released a revised Grading Policy last month to accommodate these meetings which you can find elsewhere in this month’s E Chaser.
Enjoy your Easter break and if you cannot be at Wentworth Park to witness the running of Australia’s richest ever greyhound race, the 2010 Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg, be sure to tune into Sky Racing 2 for an enhanced coverage of what promises to be a stellar night of racing.
March 1, 2010
A large part of our focus at the moment is on the roll-out of up to eight additional TAB meetings per week. This is an exciting opportunity for the sport on the back of Sky Racing2 which will start in late March.
Sky Racing2 means that some of our non-TAB clubs can now be put to work and start to put money back into the sport through the returns GRNSW will receive from betting on their races, particularly by wagering operators outside of NSW.
The new meetings will carry minimum prizemoney that is pegged at 50 per cent of what is paid at our current TAB meetings. These new TAB meetings will immediately result in an additional $1.3 million in prizemoney being paid across the state. When you add this to the prizemoney increases that we have already delivered in recent times, prizemoney in NSW has grown by $6.3 million in just 18 months, a 42 per cent increase.
We are currently working through options as to how these meetings will be graded and you can expect to read more about that shortly.
At the same time we have put out a new look draft schedule of TAB racing for discussion and consultation. The proposal is about driving wagering sales, driving exposure of our sport and growing our core customer base so that we can continue to deliver strong prizemoney growth in the future.
One of the proposed changes is to switch the Monday night Wentworth Park meeting to Friday night. Greyhound racing in the city of Sydney on a Friday night would provide an outstanding marketing opportunity for the sport in the absence of any harness racing at Harold Park and combine off course with night thoroughbred racing at Moonee Valley and Canterbury.
Some people will question the wisdom from a racing perspective of running the Wentworth Park meetings back to back on the basis that it will stop greyhounds from backing up as they may do from Saturday to Monday at present. The reality is this rarely occurs. In fact in recent times less than four greyhounds a week are backing up at Wentworth Park on a Monday night having raced on the Saturday night.
The draft provides for continuity of racing at places like Bathurst and Bulli, a key complaint about our current schedule. It also allows the sport to capitalise on the mooted shift off Saturday nights for harness racing in the Hunter and places our strong Richmond and Dapto brands in the critical Saturday twilight period.
We expect that the proposed changes to the core schedule will grow wagering sales on NSW greyhounds, and importantly this view has been confirmed by GRNSW’s key wagering partners. This is vital if we are to continue to grow prizemoney and be able to support the industry in its current form.
It is only a draft and a final decision will not be made until the consultation process with clubs and stakeholders is complete and their feedback is taken on board.
February 1, 2010
The 2009 Betfair Greyhound of the Year is down to three contenders, with all three having strong claims to the title. Miss Elly Mint’s performance to be named a finalist for the prestigious award two years in a row is particularly noteworthy and a great achievement for trainer Robert Smith and owner Ray Watson.
My congratulations also to the connections of Lilley Criminal and Take the Kitty both of which are worthy contenders for the honour.
The night also provides an opportunity to recognise the achievements of many others involved in the sport from the breeding industry to the clubs and the volunteers who give so much of their time to the promotion of the sport.
This year we also welcome aboard Betfair as the naming rights sponsor of the Greyhound of the Year Awards. Betfair is the official betting exchange partner of GRNSW together with the naming rights sponsor to our popular breeders incentive scheme Betfair Blue Paws.
Our partnership with Betfair goes beyond these two sponsorship properties. Betfair pays 10 per cent of its gross revenue on NSW greyhound races to GRNSW under an arrangement that commenced in September 2008 and has also entered an Integrity Deed with GRNSW that sets the standard in cooperation and information sharing to assist in ensuring the probity of the sport in NSW. With over 75 per cent of Betfair’s account holders trading on NSW greyhound races residing outside of NSW, our association with Betfair is taking our product to a wider marketplace.
You will also read in this edition of the E Chaser about the impending launch of Sky Racing 2. We have recently sought expressions of interest from clubs to convert existing non-TAB meetings to TAB meetings.
Many of you will recall only a few years back GRNSW cut back the number of TAB meetings it was conducting.
When the decision was made to limit the number of TAB race meetings to the contractual minimum that the industry needed to supply to the TAB, the only source of revenue was TAB distributions. As the TAB distributions received by GRNSW bear no resemblance to the performance of NSW greyhound racing, it was counterproductive to supply more TAB race meetings than required.
The environment has changed dramatically since the last major overhaul of the TAB racing calendar and the opportunity now exists for the sport’s non-TAB meetings to be put to work and make a commercial return to the sport.
The introduction of Race Fields Legislation in 2008 now allows GRNSW to charge all Australian wagering operators a fee for using our race field information. This fee is payable directly to GRNSW and as such there is a direct correlation between the performance of NSW greyhound racing and the race fields revenue GRNSW receives from Australian wagering operators. The receipt of this revenue in part allowed GRNSW to increase prize money by $5.1 million in 2009.
January 1, 2010
Last month’s announcement that the winner of the 2010 Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg will take home a cheque for $250,000 certainly caused a stir Australia wide.
December 1, 2009
The Egg is now firmly entrenched as the pinnacle in Australian greyhound racing, the race from which legends are made. All codes have such a race, in thoroughbreds its the Cox Plate, in harness the Inter Dominion, and now in greyhound racing it is beyond question that the Golden Easter Egg is clearly that race.
There will be some that will argue the additional prizemoney would be put to better use being spread across a larger number of events giving more participants an opportunity to share in the spoils. However every code needs a flagship from which it can promote itself, encourage wagering on its racing and entice new participants into the sport. For NSW greyhound racing that event is the Egg. It is also worth remembering that over the last year bread and butter prizemoney has grown by over $5 million.
On the opposite side of the coin, I had a conversation with a few guys at the Christmas Gift Final at Wentworth Park who want to see the Egg climb further and arguing that winning the Egg should be life changing, or for that matter a life making experience.
Either way, the aura of the Egg goes beyond its prizemoney cheque. It is one of the few remaining three week series’ that tests a greyhound’s true ability and that of the trainer to keep their greyhounds in peak racing condition for the duration of the series.
GRNSW is an official event partner of the GBOTA for the 2010 Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg Carnival. Our team will be working closely with the GBOTA on all aspects of the event but with a particular focus on the media and public relations side. Stay tuned for more news about the Egg shortly.
Preparations are in full swing for the 2009 Betfair Greyhound of the Year Awards on Friday 12 February. Shortly a panel of media experts will gather to argue out which NSW greyhound stood ahead of the pack on the track over the last 12 months. Keep your eyes on www.thedogs.com.au over coming weeks for all the Betfair Greyhound of the Year news and for your opportunity to determine the Run of the Year.
2009 has been a progressive year for the New South Wales greyhound racing industry.
As hopefully everyone takes a well-earned break over Christmas, it is also a great time to reflect on the many outstanding accomplishments that highlight 2009.
As well as the prizemoney increases, GRNSW renewed the registrations of more than 6,000 participants, there was the seamless merger of the regulatory division with GRNSW, the creation of a Veterinary Advisory Panel, the implementation of Performance Qualifying Trials, the announcement of the state’s largest ever spend on drug detection, Betfair signing on as a sponsor of the Greyhound of the Year awards and Blue Paws series amongst other things.
While that is all good and well, we will be working harder than ever in 2010 to keep our sport going in the right direction.
An off shoot of everyone’s hard work is the increase in wagering on the NSW greyhound product – it is at an all time high.
This is a significant fact and a just reward to everyone involved in our industry.
I am sure the banter is going to be flowing thick and fast now that the nominations are open for the 2009 Betfair Greyhound of the Year awards.
Last year’s event was something special but we have plans to top it so I encourage everyone to come along to the Hilton on Friday 12 February to help celebrate our industry.
Tickets are now on sale. Click here to book yours.
An exciting new addition in 2010 will be the public’s chance to vote on the Run of the Year.
A panel will narrow the list to five ‘runs’ which will be placed on www.thedogs.com.au for the public to vote. The greyhound with the most public votes will be awarded the 2009 Run of the Year.
Lastly, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and thank you all for the effort you put in throughout the year.
Click here for GRNSW’s Christmas operating times.
November 1, 2009
As many of you would have heard, the Productivity Commission released their draft report on gambling about a fortnight ago.
GRNSW views it as an important contribution to the debate on the future viability of the racing industry and yet another independent and highly credible report that condemns the current fixed percentage structure of allocating TAB distributions amongst the codes.
GRNSW Chairman Percy Allan summed it up best when he said: “The report is a voice of sanity in a sea of vested interests.”
The draft recommendations include the development of a national funding model for the racing industry, the key element being a levy based on gross revenue (not turnover) to be paid to the racing industry by wagering operators and also supports change in existing funding arrangements to reflect the market share of each racing provider.
As we have said all along, we will continue to lobby the state government about the inequitable structure of the current industry funding arrangements. The report’s recommendations reinforce the position of GRNSW that the current funding arrangements are prehistoric and pulling down the NSW racing industry.
The Productivity Commission report acknowledges that inter-code funding agreements, with respect to the allocation of TAB funding, which are unresponsive to changes in market share between the racing codes, have several adverse implications including the stifling of competition and the diminishment of the consumers power to vote with their dollars.
Reform of industry funding arrangements to a model that encourages and rewards innovation and growth is vital to the sustainability of the racing industry in NSW.
GRNSW will formally respond to the Productivity Commission’s recommendations as part of the public consultation process announced by the Commission.
Congratulations to the connections of Dancing Surf who took out the 2009 Group One Schweppes Vic Peters Classic at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Finally, it was great to see Danny Green trackside on the night. There are plenty of big name members of the community out there that love greyhound racing.
October 1, 2009
Over the last month our team has been making its way around the State hosting ten ‘live sites’ for members to renew their membership face to face and have their questions about matters ranging from registrations to grading to our Greyhounds as Pets programme answered.
The ‘live sites’ would appear to have been well received by many of you with over 15% of all renewals being completed at a ‘live site’. It is a concept that we will look to expand in the future as we continue to look at ways to improve our service delivery to members.
October 8 will mark 100 days since GRNSW assumed total responsibility for the affairs of the industry. One of the most important developments in that time has been the creation of a Veterinary Advisory Panel to provide technical advice to GRNSW about regulatory and animal welfare matters where veterinary views are relevant to our consideration. This should ensure that decisions made by GRNSW are based on sound analytical advice provided by experts in the field.
We have now put in place communication protocols with respect to all regulatory matters as part of our commitment to the open and transparent administration of the sport. ‘Grading Allocation Reports’ are now published on our website showing the order of entry of greyhounds into their respective races and greyhounds that were not drawn at a particular race meeting.
This will assist members understand why their particular greyhound may not have been drawn in a race. Further we have put in place systems to ensure that all non-race day Stewards inquires are announced on our website and that Steward’s decisions from those inquiries together with any Appeal judgments can be accessed online.
Not as positive was the announcement of the Government position in response to Alan Cameron’s recommendations to reform the racing and wagering industries in NSW so that they have a sustainable future. Whilst the Government position involves some change to wagering regulations in respect to the ability of bookmakers to operate online and 24/7, they frankly do not go far enough and still leave NSW in an uncompetitive position when compared to other states.
It was encouraging that Kevin Greene acknowledged that inter-code funding reform is potentially significant to future innovation and growth. This remains a significant public policy issue for the racing and wagering sector in NSW as continuing lack of incentive and innovation will inevitably lead for further industry declines in NSW.
Such industry declines have the potential to impact industry stakeholders across the three codes of racing, regional communities and NSW Government revenues. We will continue to pursue this matter with the gallops, trots and Government.
1 September, 2009
We should know the Government’s position in relation to the recommendations of the Cameron Report later this month which are well over due. The racing industry and wagering operators alike need certainty as to the future regulatory framework in NSW so that we can get on with planning and managing the sport accordingly.
During August Tabcorp announced to the market that its distributions to the NSW racing industry had slowed to a growth rate of 3.4% in the second half of the financial year just gone. In the light of the global economic crisis and the competitive pressures in the national wagering market, this is a more than acceptable result when you consider the performance data for this decade.
Average TAB distribution growth achieved by the NSW racing industry per year since 2000 has only been 3.1%, and even if you excluded the last two years to avoid the impacts of Equine Influenza, TAB distributions have only grown by 3.5%.
On the ‘Our Fair Share’ website we published a table drawn from the Australian Racing Board Fact Book that shows categorically that the NSW industry is the worst performing when it comes to wagering growth and has been for some time. Click here to see the table.
That sustained performance cannot simply be laid at the feet of competitive pressures from corporate bookmakers. It highlights that there are fundamental structural failings headlined by the lack of incentive or reward for the three codes to innovate, to grow their business and to improve their performance. This was the exact point captured by Alan Cameron when he recommended the inter-code funding arrangements needed to be altered to reflect the performance of each code.
A Government response that fails to tackle the issue of inter-code funding reform is highly unlikely to reverse the outlook of the NSW racing industry in the long term. Instead the social welfare mentality of the racing industry - going to Government with its hand out looking to be propped up - will continue.
There has been a fair amount of discussion about our position with respect to the development of a regional racing precinct in Tamworth over recent weeks. GRNSW supports the proposal in-principle which would see all three codes housed in the one location with shared facilities, but have knocked back a request to provide over $1 million towards its construction. If the project can be funded by other means such as the proceeds from selling the existing track then it should proceed.
The reality is that the fixed percentage structure of TAB distributions to the NSW racing industry does not support nor allow GRNSW to invest in improving infrastructure, introducing TAB racing and creating additional employment opportunities in regional areas such as Tamworth. Put simply, the return on investment for the sport would be negligible and would have to be at the expense of funding to other tracks throughout the State.
It is interesting to note that Harness Racing NSW have given the precinct the green light but likewise haven’t announced a funding contribution to the project. Instead they are going cap in hand to Government asking for funding assistance! Click here to see more.
September will be an extremely busy month at GRNSW with membership renewals due for all licensed trainers, owner / trainers and attendants. This is the first renewal period which we at GRNSW have been responsible for so it will be all hands on deck.
To make the process more convenient for you we have introduced the ability to pay your renewal by B-Pay for the first time. We will also host a number of ‘live sites’ throughout the State during September at race meetings where you will be able to renew your membership in person. Our Graders, Lara Griffin from our Greyhounds as Pets initiative and members of our senior management team will attend many of these sessions so that you can have your questions answered on any of the services that we provide to our members.
See you at a track in September.
As many of you would have seen, GRNSW has really upped the ante on Gaming and Racing Minister Kevin Greene to ensure he does the right thing and implement the recommendations put forward by the Alan Cameron Report. As I have said all along, we will continue to work hard to ensure the Rees government implements this reform and secure the long term future of the racing industry. Now you can help us continue this.
On Friday 30 July we launched ourfairshare.com.au – a new website that allows the many members of the greyhound industry, including trainers, breeders, punters and volunteers with a forum to voice their concerns, an on-line petition and how you can contact the Minister and lobby your local MP. The response has been exceptional. Hundreds of people have signed the petition and we have been overwhelmed with letters, emails and calls of support.
On that same day we unveiled a $900,000 grandstand upgrade at Gosford. What needs to be made clear is that the current fixed rate revenue structure, which Cameron recommends be removed, is holding NSW back, particularly in regional areas. Under the present arrangements we cannot invest in improving infrastructure, introducing TAB racing and creating additional employment opportunities in those areas.
Wagering on greyhound racing has increased by 10% in the past two years but due to the outdated structure we are not rewarded for it – it is inhibiting our growth.
The facts are straightforward. I encourage you, just as I have, to contact Mr Greene and your local MP and express your concerns about the current structure.
3 June, 2009
The merger of the regulatory Authority with GRNSW is fast approaching with GRNSW set to assume responsibility for the regulatory affairs of our sport from 1 July. A lot of planning and preparation is going into the merger to ensure that it is as seamless as possible for members of the sport.
A large number of current GHRRA staff have elected to transfer to GRNSW in similar positions to what they currently hold. You will see in this edition of the E-Chaser that we are currently advertising several vacancies with GRNSW to fill positions where incumbents have decided to pursue other opportunities. I personally wish those staff of the GHRRA who have elected not to join GRNSW the very best with their future endeavours.
The ultimate outcome will be a new team that blends experience with fresh blood that will provide a healthy forum for new ideas and a renewed focus on the level of customer service that GRNSW provides to members of our sport.
Over the next few weeks we will be making announcements about changed contact details and arrangements that will take effect from early July. There will be a special edition of the E-Chaser distributed later in June providing you with all the information relevant to you as a member of the sport.
Away from the merger there has been a lot of recent media coverage about potential decreases in prizemoney in the NSW thoroughbred industry. I have been asked by a few members of the sport whether or not the same was likely in greyhound racing. The answer is NO. The substantial prizemoney increases the Board made in January are sustainable in the foreseeable future and the income of the greyhound industry is currently stable.
4 May, 2009
Apparently we are in the midst of a recession, yet someone forgot to tell the punters on Golden Easter Egg night. The Easter Saturday meeting was a raging success with the biggest crowd seen since the Brett Lee Egg, excellent coverage in the mainstream press and wagering holds smashing the previous records for Egg final night.
My congratulations to the McDonald family for their success with Dana Beatrice. The McDonalds have been instrumental in the resurgence of the Cowra Club in recent years and it was great to see the Egg go bush.
Speaking of the bush, I was amazed to read in a recent John Davis column in the Sunday Telegraph a suggestion that prizemoney at TAB meetings could be a minimum of $2,000 if only GRNSW would consolidate a few country tracks. The increase in prizemoney on the TAB circuit suggested would amount to some $8.4 million a year. What was missed however was that funding for the entire non-TAB sector amounts to only $3.5 million a year. Hence even if we were to dispense with every single non-TAB meeting in the State, we would still be $4.9 million short of being able to fund the TAB level prizemoney increase suggested.
Our prizemoney levels are now competitive with those of other States, indeed our TAB levels are identical to those on offer in Victoria. We are working towards being able to increase those levels further in the not too distant future and we plan on doing that without decimating the country sector.
Finally we expect that State Parliament will pass legislation in the next fortnight paving the way for the transfer of all regulatory functions to GRNSW from 1st July. Later this month the Board will put out a detailed statement outlining the progress and impacts of the merger.
2 April, 2009
Today is somewhat of an historical day in the evolution of our industry from being controlled and regulated by Government to a mature self governed industry.
The NSW Government introduced a bill into Parliament today that will see significant changes to the commercial and regulatory oversight of greyhound racing. The largest of these changes is the decision to dissolve the GHRRA and transfer responsibilities for integrity to GRNSW. This effectively removes the Government from the day to day management of our sport.
With one team focused on delivering one vision, we will be committed to delivering services to industry members in a responsive, professional and inclusive way.
We expect that these changes to the governance of our sport will commence on the 1st July and you can expect to read a lot more about the changes over the coming weeks on www.thedogs.com.au and in the E Chaser.
On another matter, Sunday Telegraph journalist John Davis contacted me this morning about the growing shortage of runners being seen in our race fields, particularly at non-TAB meetings over recent weeks. The unfortunate reality is that we will continue to see such a situation over the next year or so as we now see the impact that occurrences like the thoroughbred broadcasting dispute and EI had on the confidence of our breeding sector. However given the progress we have made over recent times and the significant rise in prizemoney, industry confidence is also on the rise and we expect breeding levels to again climb.
3 March, 2009
By now you will most likely be aware that the Government has decided to abolish the GHRRA and transfer all grading, licensing and stewarding functions to GRNSW. The move back to one single controlling body is likely to be competed by 1st July.
We are now planning the merger of the regulatory division with GRNSW aiming to ensure that the transition is smooth and seamless for industry participants. In the interim the GHRRA continues to be responsible for the day to day regulatory activities.
We are committed to undertaking this merger in an open and transparent way and I will keep you up-to-date with our progress in the E-Chaser over coming months.
Last month we hosted for the first time the NSW Greyhound of the Year Awards. The warmth with which the night and the host of new awards were received was particularly pleasing. The success of the night was in no small way due to the efforts of our Public Relations Manager Tony Richens who was responsible for bringing the event together.
At the Awards, our Chairman Professor Allan announced a new excellence award, the Allen Wheeler Medal, to recognise individuals who perform with absolute distinction within our sport. Allen epitomised our sport and the four qualities of skill, integrity, leadership and empathy for others, upon which future recipients of the Allen Wheeler Medal will be judged.
The Allen Wheeler Medal will quickly be recognised as the highest honour that can be bestowed on a participant in our sport and it was fitting that the first recipient be Jack Bell.
Finally I want to thank all industry participants who got behind and supported the benefit race meeting at Wentworth Park on Saturday night to support the Victorian bushfire fundraising appeal. Part of the funds raised are being donated to a special fund being managed by our colleagues at Greyhound Racing Victoria specifically to assist greyhound industry participants that have been impacted on by the fires. The level of support generated for the meeting is testament to the true character of our sport.
2 February, 2009
With the temperature reaching melting point of late the action will be just as hot on the track over the coming weeks with the culmination of the National Derby and Futurity at the Gardens featuring promising young dogs of the ilk of Genista Thunder and Nova Surf.
There has been plenty of talk in the industry about the merits of moving these two Group one races to The Gardens. Whilst the quantity of nominations may have been down on recent years, the quality certainly is not. With the support of the patriotic local media Friday night’s meeting is sure to attract one of the biggest crowds seen at the venue since its opening meeting and will provide a real barometer of the success of the move. We will sit down with the club after the dust has settled and review the success of this years event.
February has a real provincial flavour in the sprinting ranks with Group racing set down for Bulli, Richmond and the Gardens. In the staying ranks the highlight will be the Group 2 Gold Cup at Wenty with our number one stayer Lilley Criminal looking to add a Gold Cup to his mantle next to her Association Cup of last month.
The prizemoney increases on a Saturday night at Wentworth Park take effect this month and we have made adjustments to the Grading Policy to accommodate these.
Essentially Wentworth Park Monday nights will be treated as a separate grading stream to Wentworth Park Saturday nights with greyhounds being able to work their way through the grades on both individual nights. However a third grade greyhound on a Saturday night will not be permitted to start below fourth grade on a Monday night.
The updated grading policy is included in this month’s edition of the E-Chaser and will commence on Monday 9th February.
24 December, 2008
Welcome to the first edition of the E-Chaser, the latest addition to our growing kennel of electronic publications. The E-Chaser is directed at trainers, owners and breeders arriving in your inbox at the start of each month. I am sure you will find it a worthy replacement for The Chaser magazine.
The launch of the E-Chaser along with our weekly news and form newsletters, the Monday Meltdown, the Inside Word and the Friday Gospel, are all products of our new website thedogs.com.au. There are now well over 2,000 members of thedogs.com.au and this number is sure to swell once video replays of all TAB races are introduced in early 2009.
As 2008 closes, I am confident that we are heading into 2009 in a much better position than we commenced in 2008. From the 1st January our prizemoney levels will be competitive with those offered in Victoria. These increases, coupled with recent changes announced to the Grading Policy, will significantly improve the attractiveness for owners to race their better greyhounds in NSW. The stronger our racing becomes, the more attractive it will be to our customers, the punters, which will be increasingly important to the funding received by the industry in the future.
The move to a single metropolitan race club at Wentworth Park, the launch of Greyhounds as Pets, the refurbishment of Wentworth Park, Richmond and Lismore, and of course the launch of thedogs.com.au were all achievements of 2008 upon which we can build in 2009.
In late January the Group 1 National Derby and National Futurity series will get underway as always. However for the first time these two historic races will leave WentworthPark and be conducted at The Gardens, the first time Group 1 racing has been conducted at a provincial track in NSW. The finals will be conducted in the evening on Friday 6th February and should attract a large crowd to the flagship hunter venue.
The week after the Derby attention will shift to the NSW Greyhound of the Year Awards that GRNSW are now hosting. The Awards night will be held at the Hilton Hotel on Friday 13th February and will recognise not only the NSW Greyhound of the Year, but the efforts of owners, trainers, breeders and administrators across the state.
The Awards will be part of a jam packed evening mixed with a great three course dinner, drinks and entertainment. Tickets for what should be an outstanding night can be purchased by contacting GRNSW in January on 9764 6255. I look forward to seeing many of you on the night.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and look forward to a big 2009.