The recent prizemoney increases announced by Racing Queensland will benefit many owners, particularly those that race horses in south east Queensland.
On behalf of our members, we congratulate Racing Queensland on this announcement. With the cost of ownership continuing to increase, any announcement that helps reduce the overall cost of owning a racehorse is most welcome.
One area of the recent prizemoney announcements that our members have asked Racing Queensland to urgently review is the $1,000 increases per race in Regional Queensland, particularly the TAB Regional Clubs.
Many owners in Regional Queensland are part of larger syndicates and at the current increase of $1,000 per race, using 10–20-person syndicate per horse, that equates to a $20-$40 increase per owner, if your horse is lucky enough to win a race.
With the increased costs of travel in those areas, we don’t believe that is an adequate increase to support a return on investment for owners in those areas.
As part of the review, we have asked Racing Queensland to consider re-categorizing or re-classifying the Regional TAB Clubs (Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns) into the same group as Toowoomba (P2).
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As the year comes to a close, it is an important time to reflect on what we have been able to achieve with the QTOA in its inaugural year.
It has been a privilege to take up the role of Chairman of the Committee and President of the Queensland Thoroughbred Owners Association (QTOA).
This year has been all about getting the business up and running and making sure that owners have a seat at the table for important industry discussions.
It has been welcoming that QTOA is now considered an important stakeholder in thoroughbred racing and represents the interests of all owners across the state.
It has been a really important first 12 months for QTOA however there is much more to do into future.
As QTOA Membership continues to increase in numbers, the launch of the new Owner Maroon Cards is hopefully a game changer in race day experiences, and we hope that all owners take up the opportunity to sign up to be a QTOA Member.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our current and past committee members over the year and look forward to seeing the association grow further in 2023.
Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all owners that race in Queensland a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year in 2023.
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