October
JanuaryPriority picks
Once again the weather played a part in causing a race meeting to be called off, this time at Geelong on January 13.
Racing Victoria Ltd must now put in place a policy where all horses that were to run at these meetings should have priority the next time they nominate.
This is a fair and reasonable way to look after owners who have missed out.
As readers would be aware, under the free nominations system operating in Victoria trainers nominate for every meeting going around, so it’s very hard to plan where you wish to go. So how about it, RVL?
John Hymet
Ivanhoe (Vic)
• Reply from Paul Bloodworth of Racing Victoria: Racing Victoria (RV) has for some time attempted to alleviate disadvantage to owners caused by abandoned meetings by allowing horses in them to nominate for meetings where the nominations have already closed.
For example, horses that were runners in the Geelong meeting last Thursday (which was abandoned at approximately 1.30pm) were able to nominate for either Sandown on Wednesday January 19 or Seymour Thursday January 20, which had closed earlier that day (at midday).
Additionally RV pays trainers $400 for horses that are in meetings abandoned after scratchings, which is used by trainers to offset any expenses experienced by owners on the day.
RV has previously considered providing exemptions to horses that were in abandoned meetings or have been balloted out of races, and did not support the idea.
It found that whilst horses in receipt of the exemptions would receive a short-term benefit, the consequence was horses that had not been in abandoned meetings or were balloted out of abandoned meetings were then disadvantaged by being balloted out of future meetings, which simply disenfranchised another set of owners.
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