More racing opportunities to race for members and their greyhounds and the optimisation of wagering turnover are two of the factors that influenced changes to Greyhound Racing Victoria’s (GRV) weekly racing schedule for the 2015/16 Financial Year which came into effect on July 1 2015.

The decision to revise the racing calendar is consistent with recent moves to improve industry settings and incentives. The scheduling is aimed at ensuring the right structures are in place to promote better greyhound lifecycle and racing management, and welfare, that support the ongoing sustainable growth and future of the industry.

The new weekly schedule sees:

• The introduction of a permanent Friday DAY time slot. The club that holds this meeting will vary from week-to-week. On some special occasions this meeting may also be held in the TWILIGHT or NIGHT timeslot.
• The introduction of a Tier 3 meeting to be held in the Monday Twilight timeslot (to be held at Traralgon when the new track is operational).
• The Geelong Tier 3 meeting that was run on a Monday in 2014/15 has been realigned to Tuesday TWILIGHT.
• There will no longer be a Sunday Tier 3 TWILIGHT meeting.

GRV has worked closely with Joint Venture Partner Tabcorp – in particular Sky Racing – on the provision of the timeslot to broadcast the extra meeting.  The addition of an extra meeting also means that an extra $1.5 million in prize money will be distributed throughout the year to fund the extra races.

Other 2015/16 Racing Calendar highlights:

1. With the introduction of a Friday DAY meeting, there will be 22 race meetings – as compared to 21 in FY15 – conducted in Victoria per week leading  to a maximum of 264 races per week.
2. The Great Chase in 2015 has moved to October, as a feature of the Topgun Carnival at The Meadows. Heats will be run at all Victorian tracks with Semi-Finals and the Grand Final to be run at The Meadows.
3. Monthly Go Distance Racing (GDR) bonuses have been added to selected events held at Sandown Park and The Meadows at their Provincial Stakes Meetings.
4. Following the introduction of the GRV to the City series in May and June 2015, the series will be run again in October 2015. This series provides opportunity for restricted greyhounds to compete in lucrative Metropolitan finals against similar opposition.
5. There has also been regular Ranking Limit Meetings added to the weekly schedule which will be held at Tier 3 Meetings as advertised.

GRV Racing Manager, Scott Robins, said the changes to the calendar were made with the intention of providing as much opportunity as possible to members as well as attempting to grow the industry’s return from wagering.

“The changes to the racing calendar are aimed at providing more opportunities for Victorian trainers and owners regardless of location and quality of greyhound. We hope these changes result in greater satisfaction from their participation in the sport for all members,” Mr Robins said.

“Traralgon, with their new track, will accommodate a new Tier 3 meeting once it is operational. The region has been desperate to receive another Tier 3 meeting and we have listened to that feedback.

“The strategic nature of these changes are also aimed at optimising returns from wagering revenue which flow directly back to welfare initiatives, infrastructure and to participants as well.”

The effectiveness of the new racing schedule will be continually reviewed as it progresses.

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GRV Racing Department | 038329 1100 | [email protected]