Victorian horses will have the chance to race for metropolitan prizemoney in a country penalty race thanks to a new deal between Canberra Harness Racing Club and Harness Racing Victoria (HRV).
HRV has welcomed the opportunity to bolster ties with the Canberra club to help promote the 2016 TAB.com.au Canberra Cup.
This season’s TAB.com.au Canberra Cup will be a heat and final format series with the first heat in Canberra on Tuesday, January 19, 2016, and Heat 2 going to Shepparton Harness Racing Club on Thursday, January 28. The third and final heat will take place at Goulburn Harness Racing Club on Monday, February 1, before the final is held at Canberra on Sunday, February 7.
The Cup is worth $25,000 and is a C2-C5 race.
An exciting trainer’s bonus has been attached to the race this year with the TAB.com.au Canberra Cup winning trainer to receive a trip to the 2016 Little Brown Jug held in Delaware, US.
Canberra’s dynamic committee decided it needed to find ways to make the cup an attractive racing proposition for trainers and connections to fill a niche in the country cup calendar.
With limited funds available to put on 20 race meetings a year, the challenge for the committee was to maximise bang for buck.
The Canberra club’s General Manager Greg Nugent said: “The uniqueness of the cup format would not have been possible without the assistance of HRV and the Shepparton club. Also we extend thanks to our friends at Goulburn. We would also like to acknowledge the support of TAB.com.au in helping us get this concept off the ground. To have a Cup format that covers three jurisdictions is very unique and to my knowledge has not been done before.”
Mr Nugent added: “Since our deletion from the Harness Racing New South Wales Carnival of Cups circuit we have struggled to find a place for our Cup in the racing calendar. Hopefully this new approach will reinvigorate our Cup and allow us to once again showcase our feature race. The C2-C5 format allows the local and hobby trainers to participate and with the added bonus of a trip to the Little Brown Jug, trainers will have an opportunity to reap the rewards of this trip which is high on trots fans’ bucket lists.”
The TAB.com.au Canberra Cup program also sees the running of the annual ‘Ackie Hawke’ and the Capital 3YO Championship.
“Hopefully the support card will encourage visiting owners and trainers who may have qualified for the Cup to throw a couple of extra horses on the support card,” Mr Nugent said.
HRV CEO John Anderson said Victoria welcomed the opportunity to support the Canberra club.
“It’s a great fit for Canberra to become closer to HRV and some of our trainers here in Victoria will jump at the opportunity to race for good prizemoney in a $25,000 Cup as well as a potential trip to the USA for the Little Brown Jug.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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