VICTORIA IS THE LAST STATE STANDING AS RACING SOUTH AUSTRALIA PULLS THE PLUG ON JUMPS RACING

By Graham Potter | Friday, October 1, 2021

Racing South Australia (Racing SA) has announced that jumps races will no longer be scheduled on the state’s racing calendar as of next year.

In explaining its decision, Racing SA referred to its data-base of horses with the current data showing there is less than ten jumps horses domiciled in South Australia and that, in the twelve jumps races contested in South Australia during the Covid affected 2020/21 racing season, field sizes fell to an average of under five horses per race.

“Jumps racing has been an important part of the thoroughbred industry for almost 150 years,” said Racing SA CEO Nick Redin.

“However, participation levels in jumps racing in South Australia, particularly from within our State, have been declining for some time and it has become clear that we no longer have a sustainable jumps industry.”

Redin is expecting opposition to the decision from some quarters, but he reiterated the fact that the decision was taken with a forward-looking approach and in the best interests of racing industry in South Australia which, apart from jumps racing, ‘is on a growth trajectory’ according to Redin.

Redon pointed out that the famous Oakbank Racing Carnival will continue and the well-known races such as the Great Eastern, the Von Doussa and the Harry D. Young will be contested in future, but as flat races and not as jump races.

Victoria is now the last state standing in terms of jumps racing.

From 2022, it will be the only state to have a jumps racing program.