Jumps racing's future decided in New Zealand

SENTrack’s Gareth Hall says jumps racing will continue in New Zealand.

Jumps racing was said to be on its last legs in New Zealand with the number of jumps meetings dropping significantly in the last decade.

Throw in the decline in turnover, jumps racing was ‘at a crossroads’ with many stakeholders fearing the end of this code.

However, Hall says this announcement will be made official at New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s annual meeting this afternoon.

“Some breaking news this morning from New Zealand and that is that I can confirm that jumps racing will continue next season,” Hall said on SENTrack.

“There was a strong possibility that jumps racing would come to an end here in New Zealand after a review about six months ago.

“They consulted the industry and all the major players and I think it will be confirmed today at the NZTR AGM that jumps racing will continue on which will put a smile on a lot of peoples face here in New Zealand.

“It’s also good news for the industry in Australia as well so just confirming that jumps racing will continue in New Zealand which is fantastic news for a lot of participants especially those in the south of New Zealand.”