Premier announces immediate racing shutdown
TASMANIAN participants are in shock after the state government declared the industry must shut down immediately.
Just moments ago Premier Peter Gutwein announced several measures arising from the Coronavirus pandemic, which includes the three racing codes to cease.
Gutwein introduced the rules after the Apple Isle has what is thought to be its first cases of community transmission of COVID-19 in Devonport.
Those cases are not racing related.
At this stage racing will be halted for four weeks, something which could cripple the industry according to record-breaking horseman Ben Yole.
Yole has close to 100 horses in his care, with 78 of those racing.
“I’m shocked they’ve just called it off immediately,” Yole said. “A close mate is a greyhound trainer and they rang him while he was on the highway to the track and told him to turn around.
“You’d think we could at least see out the weekend. Racing is cancelled immediately, but garage sales and sex workers have until 6pm on Friday!
“It is a month at this stage but that’s not to say they won’t extend it.
“This could bring harness racing to its knees and is something it may never recover from.
“The longer it goes on the less likely it will be the sport can make a return.”
Along with animal welfare, Yole pointed to the financial impact and drain the shutdown will have on licence holders and those parallel to the industry.
Even though horses can be trained, Yole highlighted the obvious concern about wages.
“It’s a big long list of who gets paid through harness racing,” Yole said. “The sport will lose trainers, owners, stablehands, farriers and so on.
“People who pay training fees have no chance to earn for a month, that’s not to mention owners who have lost their job or business through this and may not be able to afford to pay for horses which aren’t at least racing.
“The Racing Minister has been good with communication so hopefully something per horse to help the industry continue may come along, but so far nothing has been mentioned.”