The South Australian horse racing industry has announced jumps racing will not be a part of the calendar as of next year.
Key points:
- Racing SA has removed jumps racing from next year’s racing schedule
- Participation in jumps racing has been declining for some time
- Protesters have long called for jumps racing to be banned in SA
Racing SA said the decision has been made due to declining participation levels and horse numbers, making the industry unsustainable.
A total of 12 jumps races were held in 2020-21 with field sizes falling to less than five horses per race.
According to Racing SA’s data, there are fewer than 10 jumps horses currently in South Australia compared with more than 2,400 registered thoroughbreds across the state.
Racing SA CEO Nick Redin said while jumps racing had been an important part of the thoroughbred industry, participation levels in jumps racing had been declining for some time.
“While this will undoubtedly be sad news for some, we believe it creates some very exciting opportunities for the future,” he said.
“Thoroughbred racing in South Australia is on a growth trajectory, and this decision is in the best interests for the future of our industry.”
Racing SA has flagged jumps horses that are unable to transition to flat racing will be transferred to new owners interstate, into eventing or into retirement.
Leading trainer Richard Jolly said he moved his business to flat racing due to the decline in jumps participation.
“I did have jumpers, but because we have no riders here it just became cost prohibitive to have to fly jockeys in to do the training and race riding,” he said.
“The industry has worked hard to see if there’s a future for jumps racing in South Australia, but it’s clear that it is no longer sustainable.
“In contrast, the number of horses involved in flat racing continues to grow in SA.”
ABC News: Alina Eacott
)The Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival, which includes jumps racing, attracted about 25,000 people in 2019, compared to decade ago when crowds topped 100,000.
This year just under 10,000 punters attended the event with pre-purchased tickets , after COVID-19 enforced a hiatus in 2020.
The event has attracted an increasing number of protesters in recent years from animal welfare groups, calling for jumps racing to be banned, as it is in every state except South Australia and Victoria.
Posted , updated
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