Corstens advocates later start to trackwork
Australian Trainers’ Association president Troy Corstens has renewed calls for later trackwork starting times, arguing the move would help address racing’s ongoing staffing shortages and attract new participants to the industry.
Corstens said racing needed to move away from traditional practices that require stable staff and track riders to begin work in the early hours of the morning.
“Everyone sits back – ‘I can’t get staff, I can’t get track riders’ – why would kids want to get up at 3AM, work their butts off all morning, and then go to the races all day?” Flemington-based Corstens told Giddy Up with Gareth Hall.
He noted the increase in twilight racing in Victoria and said the industry should consider later starts rather than relying on the view that “that’s the way we’ve always done it”.
Corstens acknowledged a key challenge was achieving consistency, with track opening times generally determined by individual clubs. He pointed to a recent change at Randwick, where training now begins at 5am instead of 3.30am, as evidence the concept can work.
Corstens said Sydney trainer Peter Snowden had initially opposed later starts but after they were put into practice told him: “It’s changed my life. I get a little bit longer to sleep, I get better staff – once you put it into play, it’s actually really good.”
Corstens said he believed a 6am start for the first horse on the track would provide a better lifestyle for industry participants while helping stables attract and retain staff.
