A Racing Australia board meeting on Tuesday week could clear the way for a swathe of new Australian black-type races to be added in one fell swoop, potentially swelling an already bloated national Pattern.
As long-running tensions between principal racing authorities and stakeholder groups about the lack of genuine Pattern reform reach another boiling point, Racing Australia’s directors will vote on an updated Black Type Guidelines process on September 2.
But even now, almost a year on from Racing Australia’s stalled attempt to overhaul the nation’s black-type calendar, it is unlikely that the six principal racing authority-nominated directors on the national regulatory board will reach a consensus on how to move forward.
With Racing NSW and Racing Victoria holding powers of veto over Racing Australia, the position of the latter and its chair and RA representative Tim Eddy will ultimately determine whether or not the Pattern Guidelines are passed.
The Straight understands that if the revamped Guidelines gain approval at the Racing Australia meeting, then as many as 38 races nationally could be immediately upgraded to stakes status for the first time, an increase of 7 per cent on the 623 black-type races a season.
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