Tasracing committed to sustaining total race numbers across fewer meetings

Tasracing remains committed to staging the same number of races in the 2026/27 season despite confirming it will stage fewer meetings.

It announced earlier this month that the season would consist of 61 thoroughbred meetings, not including any which may be held on King Island.

That is a reduction of three on the 2025/26 season, while the number of harness meetings also fell.  

But CEO Andrew Jenkins told The Straight that Tasracing would look to keep the total number of races at the same level.

“Our preliminary plans were adjusted after what was a very genuine consultation process with participants and a range of racing stakeholders. And where we’ve landed is that, whilst there will be a reduction in the number of race meetings across both equine codes, the number of races and the overall stakes pool will not reduce,” he said.

“So therefore it’s an exercise in efficiency from a travel perspective, maximising wagering profitability, commercial returns to the industry.”

“To be clear, we’re not siphoning those savings, so to speak, out of stakes and out of participants’ and owners’ pockets.”

It had previously been revealed that key wagering meetings such as Friday nights at Launceston, of which there are 12 in the upcoming season, would feature additional races.

 “We’ll work through now a detailed process of allocating the volume of races across the race meetings,” he said.

The number of greyhound meetings has increased by one to 156, despite plans from the government to end the code in the state by June 2029.