The Country Championship Final is set to go ahead this Saturday, subject to changes in Government restrictions, but with a reduction in prizemoney.
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The Final will be staged on the opening day of The Star Championships, which over two days of racing at Royal Randwick will feature eight Group 1 races.
Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club have agreed that in response to the unprecedented challenges arising from the coronavirus crisis, prizemoney for carnival will need to be reduced.
The main source of funding for prizemoney is wagering which will be significantly reduced by the current lockdowns of pubs, clubs and TAB retail agencies.
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Other sources funding for prizemoney, being on-course attendances and sponsorship have also been severely impacted given the public is not currently permitted to attend race meetings.
Racing NSW has focused on a number of strategic imperatives over the past years, including the establishment of a Future Fund, so as to enable the NSW Racing Industry to continue in the face of such challenges.
However, it is important that those cash reserves be maintained for as long as possible, so as to fund the industry as a whole given the uncertainty as to how long the challenges and restrictions arising from coronavirus will continue.
Subsequently the prizemoney for the 10 The Championship races has been reduced by 50 per cent, and the Country and Provincial Championships finals 20 per cent.
That equates to $100,000 with the prize purse for the Country Championships cut from $5000 to $4000.
The Cody Morgan-trained Ligulate will be flying the local flag and as of Monday morning was the second favourite in betting with the TAB.
