Ellerslie chases more Australian runners as NZTR readies travel subsidy

Auckland Thoroughbred Racing will canvass Australian trainers over the coming months for Ellerslie’s summer feature meetings while New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) says details of a travel subsidy for Australian-trained horses are close to release.

Kingswood’s Caulfield Cup win has given the club its strongest selling point. The Gavin Bedggood-trained entire won the Group 1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day for his first Group 1, then ran second in the Herbie Dyke Stakes and fifth in the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes before winning the Caulfield Cup at $26 on Saturday.

“Gavin Bedggood was getting grief that he came over here with a B-grader just to pick up a Group One win, and to go back and pick up a race that is as highly regarded as the Caulfield Cup is outstanding,” chief executive Paul Wilcox told NZ Racing News.

Wilcox also pointed to Jigsaw. Cindy Alderson’s sprinter won the Railway at Ellerslie, then took the William Reid Stakes, The Quokka and the Schillaci Stakes in a winning sequence that now stands at eight.

“We are never going to get the super-duper Group One horses, and we realise that, but it is about making sure that what we do get over here can try and help get our ratings up,” Wilcox said. “If it means we get a full field then great because that adds more to the public and punters to bet on, which is good for the industry.”

NZTR general manager of racing Mitch Lamb said: “We’re close to releasing details of a travel subsidy for Australian-trained horses for our upcoming carnival period and we’re confident Australian trainers will see it as an attractive proposition as we build on the success of last season.”

Last season NZTR paid NZ$10,000 for each eligible Australian-trained horse that started in a Group, Special Conditions or Restricted Listed race on the carnival programme.