Prizemoney for Northern Tasmania's premier harness race will be cut next year as part of a raft of programming changes announced by Tasracing after consultation with the clubs.
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The Easter Cup, worth $100,000 this year and carrying group 1 status, will be reduced to $75,000.
Tasracing's chief operating officer Andrews Jenkins said the Launceston Pacing Club had agreed to the cut.
LPC president Chester Bullock said having such a large stake for the Easter Cup - won this year by Longfellow, trained in Victoria by Emma Stewart - was not in the industry's best interests.
"We are more interested in local participants than Victorians," Bullock said.
"We don't see any benefits from investing that much money in the race - we don't get a return to the local industry."
Bullock said the club had canvassed local participants and most said they would be happy for an even bigger stake cut to $50,000.
"Personally, I'd be happy with a $50,000 Easter Cup then we'd free up $50,000 for other races," he said.
"I'd like that money redistributed to some better free-for-all races.
"That would help keep the better four and five-year-old horses in Tasmania rather than owners having to send them to the mainland.
"With the money saved from next year's Easter Cup, we could have another five free-for-alls each worth an extra $5000.
"If we had another 10 that would be even better.
"I'd like to see us get to the stage where we could have a free-for-all race worth $15,000 to $17,000 every fortnight.
"That would encourage trainers not to send our good horses away."
In contrast to the Easter Cup, the LPC's second richest open-class race, the Tassie Golden Apple, will go up from $30,000 to $50,000.
"The Golden Apple is our focus," Bullock said.
"I think we can have a better carnival at that time of the year (in December).
"It's when there are a lot of feature races on the mainland so the top horses won't come but we can still have quality racing where the locals have a chance."
DERBY, OAKS MOVED TO LATER TIMESLOT
The revised harness program will see a major change to the timing of the Tasmanian Derby and Tasmanian Oaks.
The three-year-old classics, conducted by the Tasmanian Trotting Club in Hobart, will be moved from March to September.
A later date was considered more appropriate with harness racing now operating on a January to December season.
To avoid running them twice in the same year, they won't be held again until September 2023.
DHRC FEATURES TO BE RUN AT MOWBRAY
Most of the Devonport Harness Racing Club's feature races next season will be run at Mowbray.
They include the $60,000 Raider Stakes final, $40,000 Devonport Cup, the Sheffield, Ulverstone and Latrobe Cups, the Leigh Plunkett, the Max McCormack and Coastal Pacing Thousand.
Only four of the DHRC's principal races will be moved to Burnie - the NWTLHA Cup, North West Plate, Patrons Marathon and NWTLHA Mares Feature.
NEWITT BACK TO PARTNER NEWHART
Craig Newitt has been booked to continue his association with horse of the year Newhart at Mowbray on Sunday.
It means the six-year-old will have to carry the full 64kg - plus another kilo for the vest allowance - in the $30,000 Deloraine Cup (1450m).
He will be conceding 9kg to group 3-winning mare Take The Sit who beat him by a nose in a recent Spreyton trial.
Newitt has ridden Newhart in 15 of his 17 starts and to seven of his eight career wins.
He won successive Devonport Cups on the gelding in 2020 and 2021 and followed up the second win with victories in the Thomas Lyons and Mowbray Stakes.
BONUS MAKES 3YO RICHEST RACE
The $27,000 Malua 3YO is potentially the richest race on Sunday's program as it carries $20,000 in Tasbred bonuses.
Seven of the eight final acceptors are Tasbred and will be racing for a total first prize of $32,875.
Newhart's stablemate Vetlanda - conqueror of Turk Warrior in the $50,000 Tasbred 3YO two starts ago - will be returning from a short break.
She hasn't raced since finishing down the track behind Sharma Rama at Elwick seven weeks ago when jockey Codi Jordan told stewards the filly failed to handle the soft 7 conditons.
She scored an easy trial win at Spreyton nine days ago.
Her rivals will include former Patrick Payne-trained gelding Master Sun who will be having his first start for Mark Ganderton.
Master Sun has raced only twice for a second to Waylaid on a good track at Pakenham in March and an easy Casterton maiden win on a slow 7 track 11 days ago.
Waylaid has won again since.
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR TASSIE SPRINTER
Tasmanian sprinter And Beyond will continue his Victorian campaign in a benchmark 84 race over 1400m at Caulfield on Saturday.
Trainer Lindsey Smith has booked claiming apprentice Alana Kelly and he will carry 57kg.
He is a $26 chance with tab.com.au.
Part-owner Tanya Hanson said she was "a shade disappointed" with the five-year-old's first-up eighth in the $150,000 Golden Topaz at Swan Hill.
She was prepared to give him another chance but will bring him home to get ready for the Newmarket if he again fails to measure up.
Hobart Cup runner-up In A Twinkling will return to racing at the same meeting.
He was prepared by Lindsey Smith when second to Ho Ho Khan in the Hobart Cup and sixth to Aurora's Symphony in the Launceston Cup.
The former Kiwi is now with Shane Jackson at Warrnambool.