‘South Australian racing well placed for aggressive growth strategy’
Breeder bonus scheme receives $600,000 boost as industry hangs on state budget
Investment in infrastructure will be the key to South Australian racing’s resurgence after the sport’s regulatory body made two significant prize-money increases in as many days and waits on further good news in today’s unveiling of the state budget.
Thoroughbred Racing South Australia yesterday announced it would boost the SABOIS bonus scheme, similar to the successful VOBIS, BOBS and QTIS schemes offered in other states, to $2 million among a range of modifications aimed at incentivising owners to race horses in the state, particularly locally bred ones.
The move comes after TRSA on Wednesday returned regular prize-money purses to more than the pre-Covid-19 levels after strong wagering results since the onset of the virus.
The prize-money and SABOIS increases come into effect from next Tuesday.
TRSA chief executive Nick Redin says the changes to SABOIS was part of a long-term strategy to increase horse numbers and help grow betting turnover and returns to industry participants.
“We have worked very hard to grow our field sizes. We are up, on average, a runner per race at metropolitan level and we are up .2 a race at provincial level for the financial year to date,” Redin told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday in an extensive interview.
“Our numbers were up the backend six months of last financial year, so it is really about maintaining that and growing that further and allowing us to expand the number of races we conduct on Wednesday back out to eight ultimately.
“Once we achieve that, then the aim is to expand Sunday back out to eight. We have had to reset and we’ve made some changes to our programming, which has had the desired result, and now it’s really about growing the horse numbers in the state so we can grow back out to where we need to be.”
Prize-money in South Australia had been dwarfed by leading Australian racing jurisdictions, NSW and Victoria, leading to an exodus of horses and trainers in recent years which had decimated the state’s field sizes.
Redin revealed that 300 horses had left the state in the past two and a half years and TRSA was undertaking a number of initiatives in a bid to reverse the trend.
“There were trainers we lost interstate like Lloyd Kennewell, Phillip Stokes setting up in VIctoria rather than expanding here and one (Mark Minervini) went to Newcastle and a couple of others left, but now it is about growing our population.
“We have some terrific family training partnerships over here now with the Jollys and Sue and Jason Jaensch just forged a team and obviously Leon Macdonald with his son-in-law Andrew Gluyas.
“Those training partnerships are coming through and Tony and Calvin McEvoy have divided Melbourne and SA between them, so we have got the next generation of trainers coming through.
“There’s also Will Clarken and Ryan Balfour, Michael Hickmott and Travis Doudle, these sort of guys coming through, and we’re giving them some certainty that they can grow their business.”
One issue which has held South Australian racing back has been the lack of stabling but Redin says that is changing.
“There are 90 boxes going to be built on-course at Morphettville, so that will see a big expansion of the on-course facilities at Morphettville,” says Redin.
“At the moment, Will Clarken is the only trainer on course and he only has about 24 boxes. So the SAJC is building 90, there are more being built out at Gawler, and there are plans to build another 30 once they are full. So we are certainly adding to the capacity to take the amount of horses given the whole expansion of the SABOIS scheme is about the next generation coming through.
“By the time they are ready to race, the facilities will be there to train them.”
Industry stakeholders are also hopeful that today’s South Australian budget will outline more investment in racing infrastructure around the state.
Murray Bridge’s new track, which was built on a greenfield site, is one of the shining lights of the local thoroughbred industry and the facility has been earmarked to house more horses and trainers, but TRSA will require government investment to help fund the project.
The investment cycle, Redin hopes, will lead to TRSA being able to sustainably increase prize-money levels longer term to at least keep, or close, the gap with other jurisdictions.
“I think every state always wants to increase the prize-money and we would certainly like to get all of our prize-money levels up across the board,” he said.
“If we can keep our field sizes up and grow our wagering revenue, it will enable us to provide not only that, but continue to invest in infrastructure and facilities in the state, so the trainers have the facilities they need to train from and the prize-money is sufficient to continue to attract new owners and get existing owners to buy more horses.”
Redin added: “I think we’ve seen in these results, it is pretty positive over here at the moment. Everybody’s got through Covid.
“We’ve kept the whole show going over here, so to speak, and I think we’re about to reap the rewards from that. Field sizes are up, our wagering revenues are holding up, so we are very well placed to embark on an aggressive growth strategy over here.”
Hayes welcomes SABOIS changes
SA Thoroughbred Breeders chair Sam Hayes, meanwhile, lauded TRSA’s increased support of SABOIS and he believes the changes could incentivise the state’s broodmare owners and stallion farms to undertake a joint venture to lure well-credentialed stallions to South Australia.
Hayes, who has shuttler Sir Prancealot (Tamayuz), Valentia (Fastnet Rock) and Ambidexter (Commands) at his Cornerstone Stud in the Barossa Valley, says standing stallions in South Australia had been “marginal now for a few years” but he hopes yesterday’s SABOIS announcement can go some way to changing that.
“The SABOIS announcement coupled with the prize-money going back up to pre-Covid levels, certainly from an SA Breeders’ perspective, really is fantastic,” Hayes told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“As an industry, we had probably under invested in SABOIS over the last five to ten years and it needed a large hit to get it back up to being competitive again and, to TRSA’s credit, the quantum in which they have increased it is meaningful.
“I think it will have a positive impact on investment in our state. It had to be large to make a difference and it is, so we are pleased with that.”
The injection of funds into the SABOIS scheme will see the prize-money pool increased from $1.4 to $2 million and progeny of mares bred to South Australian-based stallions are automatically eligible for the scheme without the owner paying a fee.
The progeny of a mare who is bred back to a South Australian-based stallion will be eligible for SABOIS at a fee of $550, while a South Australian-based breeder can make their foal eligible for the scheme by paying a $825 fee.
In a change, weanlings who are agisted in South Australia and majority owned by South Australians will also be eligible for SABOIS if the owners pay a $2200 entry fee while, on a once-off basis, yearlings purchased between December 1 and July 31 next year will also be eligible for the scheme if a $3300 fee is paid.
“It will certainly make it more attractive for people with a good colt to (look to South Australia) … and I think there will be more interest from breeders in South Australia to potentially get together like they do in New Zealand to invest in stallions and stand them in South Australia.” Hayes said.
“The costs associated with travelling mares interstate for the breeding season becomes significant over time, so I could see a consortium of breeders considering investing in a stallion again in this state on the back of that announcement.”
Hayes also welcomed TRSA’s announcement that a SABOIS payment will be paid on all races run at the Saturday meeting prior to the Adelaide Cup (Gr 2, 3200m) and the Adelaide Cup meeting. A $5000 non-transferable voucher to be used at the 2021 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale will also be gifted to the owners for the first SABOIS-eligible horse home in each race.
“SA Breeders were always proponents of that voucher system that they have had in other states such as NSW,” he said.
“We love that idea – anything that gets people to the sale buying yearlings, we are all for.
“Adelaide is probably the best value sale in the country in terms of results versus sale price. It is a great shopping ground in the $30,000 to $70,000 range and there is no better value sale in the country.
“This will give owners, trainers and breeders a spring in their step with the announcements over the past 48 hours.”