Mt Gambier - Response to Border Restrictions
The Mount Gambier Club and GRSA have been in close discussion over recent days regarding the extent to which available greyhound nominations present a challenge for racing at the venue beyond the running of the Mt Gambier Cup on August 30, until such time as Victorian border restrictions are lifted. Victorian nominations normally account for a majority of the weekly starters at Mt Gambier meetings.
In what has been the most challenging of years, the Club had worked hard to maintain its Thursday racing opportunity, but the more recent issues in Victoria and the extension of border restrictions have come as a further blow to the region.
GRSA is committed to continuing to support the Club through this difficult time and, to that extent, have approved a support package for the region in an effort to provide some comfort and certainty to key stakeholders in the region. The following arrangements will come into effect from September 1. The intention is that they will remain in place until the borders have opened and the normal schedule of racing at Mt Gambier – Thursday and Sunday race meetings – has re-commenced:
A (notional) minimum of 40 greyhounds will be required for a Thursday race meeting to automatically proceed. In the event that the minimum level of nominations is not met, and further to discussion between GRSA and the Club, a decision may be made to cancel that meeting. In the event that a meeting is cancelled, the following package will be applied to support registered trainers and breeders in the region for that week in lieu of a racing opportunity.
- $4 payment per greyhound per day (includes pups and retirees) for all registered premises
- $150 special payment for trainers to travel to Murray Bridge, Angle Park or Gawler
- Preferential trialling opportunities at northern tracks (where possible) on race-days
The decision to push forward with racing in the region with a reduced race meeting was made with the support of Tabcorp and Sky Racing, having regard for the unusual pressures that COVID-19 restrictions have indirectly placed on some regional areas.
GRSA Chairman Grantley Stevens expressed his eagerness to see Mt Gambier to return to its traditional schedule of racing. “For the sake of clarity, we are all desperately keen to see the border restrictions come down based on a Victorian recovery and for Mt Gambier greyhound racing to rebound. This support scheme is intended as an interim measure only to support the Mt Gambier region in lieu of a return to ‘normal’. The south-eastern region is a vital cog within the broader SA model.”
The Club will conduct the heats and final of the 2020 Mt Gambier Cup on August 23 and 30.