It will test the waters with this week’s Anzac Day Eve meeting at Mowbray but that may well be a one-off.

Tasmanian Jockeys Association general manager Kevin Ring said at this stage his members remained opposed to night racing continuing beyond the end of March.

“After that, it’s just too cold,” Ring said.

“I know Tasracing is looking to go till the end of April next year with higher weights – the theory being that will allow the jockeys to put more clothing on.

“But I think they will struggle with that because they will then feel too restricted.”

Ring said his members only agreed to the Anzac Day Eve meeting because the message relayed to him (verbally) was that it was an addition to the calendar.

“Had we known it was just a meeting they were transferring from Sunday, the jockeys most likely would not have agreed, “ he said.

Ring said he had advised Tasracing chief executive Vaughn Lynch that in future the TJA would require written notification of such requests.

“That way we’ll get the gist of what they are proposing,” he said.

When night racing began in Tasmania in 2010 the season ran into May but it was quickly brought back to April.

“For the past two years our agreement has been to ride till the end of March,” Ring said.

Tasmanian Police Inspector John King will act as the Office Of Racing Integrity’s general manager and director of racing for at least the next six months.

He replaces Reid Sanders who quit five months into a five-year contract, citing changed personal circumstances for his decision.

Racing Minister Sarah Courtney said King had worked in senior roles within Tasmania Police for more than two decades.

“He will bring a wealth of experience to the role and give certainty and stability to the state’s racing industry,” she said.

Stability has been something that has been sadly lacking within ORI for the past two years.

It was hoped that Sanders’ appointment would turn things around but apparently not. There has even been talk of stewards going on strike if an unresolved dispute is not dealt with.

Typical of the staff merry-go-round was Alicia Fuller’s appointment as acting racing director immediately following Sanders’ resignation.

Within days, she also had resigned.

Fuller is now off to Tasracing where she will be racing operations manager.

Among other things, that puts her in charge of the state’s racetracks.

Talk about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.