Extra race dates confirmed for new season by NZTR
While New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing is yet to confirm what prize money levels will be available next season, the regulator has released its race dates for 2026/27, with two extra meetings planned.
New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing intends to conduct two additional meetings next season, taking the total number to 310 scheduled for 2026/27.
The sport’s national regulator outlined its calendar and in doing so announced that Hastings would be back in commission but Awapuni would be sidelined for the entirety of the season.
The rollout of race dates was made in conjunction with TAB NZ Dates Committee.
“The racing calendar is the backbone of our season and there has been a huge amount of work across the industry to get us to this point,” NZTR general manager of racing Mitch Lamb said.
“The calendar process is a great example of the constructive working relationship between the racing codes, Entain and TAB NZ, as well as the valuable input received from our clubs and industry organisations.
“Next season presents some obvious challenges for us when it comes to calendar and dates planning, and no doubt the evolving nature of the racing landscape will demand that we continue to be adaptable when we approach this each and every season.”
On Tuesday, NZTR confirmed a revamped categorisation of its racing venues, placing clubs in one of metropolitan, provincial or community brackets.
Clubs in the metropolitan and provincial categories were also further split into either A or B venues, with the differentiation expected to determine what minimum prize money levels those clubs will race for.
It will also help determine the amount of funding those clubs will receive from NZTR.
The sport’s national regulator has yet to outline what the stake money levels will be in 2026/27.
Ellerslie is the sole “A” classified racecourse of New Zealand’s five metropolitan-graded tracks.
Lamb said the clubs were consulted prior to the confirmation of the racing schedule.
“Our clubs were active in their submissions post the release of the draft calendar, and whilst not all submissions can be incorporated, it was great to see collaborative efforts on multiple fronts between individual clubs – we thank all of them for their efforts,” he said.
Hastings, which hosts the Hawke’s Bay Racing Club meetings, will return to the schedule after remedial work was undertaken at the track after encountering jockey safety issues early last season.
A horse slipped at a Hastings meeting last September, forcing officials to abandon the meetings and transfer them elsewhere.
However, Awapuni, which has had its own track issues, won’t hold turf meetings in 2026/27 as it continues to rectify problems with its turf surface.
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