Gear Notification & Discretion
The Association has received the following notice from the RIU:
“Trainers should be aware of changes to the Notifiable Gear Rules and Regulations which have recently been made. It is now necessary for trainers to notify Harness Racing New Zealand when their horse is to wear a cornell collar or any external anti-choke device. These notifications can be made in the usual manner through the HRNZ website. When a cornell collar is to be used Stipendiary Stewards will arrange for the gear to be inspected by a Veterinarian after it has been applied and prior to the race. For reference purposes the following video demonstrates how to correctly apply this piece of gear.
In addition, it is no longer required that trainers notify the use (or non-use) of a liquid titanium mask.”
Interesting to note that, after considering it for a while, Harness Racing Australia have recently been parading a new Ratings Based Handicapping System around various states, and presumably the plan is to introduce it shortly. There are some subtle differences to our system, but the basic principles are the same, however there is one glaring difference. One of the ‘considerations’ in the proposal reads as follows:
‘Discretion
In the proposed allocation of ratings points, discretion has been deliberately left out. The omission of discretion is due to the fact that the industry has previously demonstrated a very negative disposition toward such discretion.’
Interesting.
Pete Cook