THE Canberra Harness Racing Club kicked off the season with a well-supported meeting last Tuesday night in what promises to be one of the most exciting seasons for harness racing in the Capital Region.
Newly elected Club President Wayne Gowland was impressed with the number and quality of nominations received.
“We were not really sure what to expect numbers wise so early in the season,” he said.
“There is a strong pool of horses around the region and we are working hard to co-ordinate our racing program across the broader regional clubs including Young, Wagga and Goulburn.”
It was a strong seven-race program to kick off the season and great to see trainers Paul Kahlefeldt, Shane Hallcroft and Trevor Sutherland come from the Riverina area to support the meeting.
“We were as equally pleased to see Sydney based trainer Shane Sanderson make the trip down the highway to race in Canberra for the first time since moving to Menangle from Queensland,” Gowland said.
The Club has established its Strategic Plan and key initiatives aimed at increasing the participation across all areas across the region.
This will include a feature race Carnival in partnership with the Goulburn Harness Racing Club that will see the return of feature races to the Canberra program including the Canberra Oaks and Derby as well as a number of heats and final races throughout the season.
“We are focused on improving racing and the overall racing experience for our owners, trainers and spectators,” Gowland said.
Last year Canberra Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker, who is no stranger to harness racing having raced more than half a dozen horses with Goulburn trainer Brad Hewitt, has made the investment in several more horses for this season.
Equally as keen is his former team mate Sam Williams also enjoys dabbling in the ownership of some pacers but with the arrival of a new mare into the Hewitt stable, several more Raiders have become owners.
As a Club it’s great to see more people getting involved in the sport. The Club is delighted to confirm that the Canberra Harness Racing Club will host 20 race meetings in the 2016/17 racing season.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing
