QTOA Chairman's Report: April 2025

Dear Members,

The QTOA will this month meet with Queensland Racing Review Chair Matt McGrath and Thoroughbred lead Kym Daly to further discuss our submission into the State Government’s review of racing.

As we highlighted to members in last month’s newsletter, our submission focusses on four key areas that we believe demand attention as part of the review.

These are:

• Marketing and Promotion of Racing – With wagering in decline, we believe the industry in Queensland as a whole must do more to reinvigorate public interest in racing to ensure prizemoney levels can not only be sustained but grown into the future. A more innovative and targeted marketing approach is needed to attract new audiences and strengthen engagement with owners and punters.

• Representation on the RQ Board – Thoroughbred racing generates the majority of industry revenue, yet this is not representative of the make-up of the board. We are calling for greater representation of thoroughbred stakeholders with ‘skin in the game’ to ensure policies reflect the needs of our industry.

• Rising Costs of Ownership – Spiralling insurance premiums and welfare levies are adding to the financial burden of ownership. We are pushing for more transparency and solutions to curb rising costs while maintaining high welfare standards and safety.

• Regional Prizemoney – Racing in regional areas is vital to the industry, but prizemoney levels remain a concern. We are advocating for fairer distribution to support participation, field sizes, and the long-term sustainability of regional racing.

The future of Queensland racing depends on strong leadership and a commitment to owners, who invest heavily in the industry. QTOA will continue to fight to ensure owners have a seat at the table.

We look forward to meeting with Matt and Kym to further discuss our submission and collaborate on ways to ensure the industry that we all love is a prosperous one well into the future.

OWNERS HAVE YOUR SAY 

This month’s newsletter sees the launch of a new initiative where we are seeking feedback from owners on different topics across the industry each month.

To kick things off, we are interested to gain feedback from owners on your raceday experience at various race clubs throughout Queensland.

To have your say, simply click here - https://forms.gle/rtWtmz8rC9PETpAh6

WELCOME TO EXCLUSIVELY EQUINE

This month we are also excited to form a new partnership with Exclusively Equine, who are offering a 10% discount off custom pins for QTOA members.

The lapel pins are especially designed to match racing colours.

We thank Exclusively Equine for their support and encourage owners to view the range of racing products by heading to their website Exclusivelyequine.com.au or email Quona at info@exclusivelyequine.com.au

QLD’S CHANCE TO SHINE OVER THE CARNIVAL

The Queensland Racing Carnival officially gets underway this Saturday with the running of the Group 2 Queensland Guineas and Group 2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm.

Staged over 10 weeks across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Ipswich, the Carnival is headlined by more than $28 million in prize money including nine million-dollar races and eight Group 1 features.

There is no doubt the Carnival’s reputation continues to grow each year and we look forward to seeing which stars emerge this year following on the feats of Bella Nipotina, Broadsiding and Stefi Magnetica 12 months ago before they subsequently went on to feature in some of Australia’s best races over the Spring and Autumn.

Good luck to all those with runners over the Carnival.