Numbers down for Ballina race meeting

NOMINATIONS extended for upcoming Ballina race meeting.

The Ballina Jockey Club will host its next TAB meeting on Monday.

BALLINA Jockey Club has extended nominations on all seven races for this Monday’s TAB meeting.

General manager, Matt Bertram, said the BJC received 84 nominations for the June 6 meeting today and hopes an extra 24 hours might entice a few more nominations for the public holiday meeting.

He said the track is “looking enormous” even though it is rated a Heavy 8.

“Fingers crossed we get a few more noms,” Bertram said.

“We have a heap of rain last week and had another 17mm on Sunday.”

While 84 nominations is not what Bertram had hoped for there are a number of reasons for the slightly lower numbers.

“We have had plenty of racing in the Northern Rivers recently,” he said.

“We’re just coming off meetings at Murwillumbah and Casino (Beef Week Cup) while Coffs Harbour had a Showcase meeting just recently too.

“Added to that is the fact the Queensland trainers have a big weekend (Stradbroke day) in Brisbane on Saturday and haven’t nominated.

“However the good thing is the ratio nomination to acceptance is pretty high so we expect to finish with pretty good fields, fields of nine or 10 for Monday.”

Feature race will be the $20,000 Aquis Open Handicap (1000m) while there is also a $20,000 $20,000 2YO Handicap (1000m) and a $20,000 Fillies and Mares Benchmark 58 Handicap (1300m).

Those three races plus the four others have had nominations extended until 11am Wednesday (June 3).

While Ballina race Monday Grafton’s Clarence River Jockey Club stages a six-race TAB meeting this Saturday and the Lismore Turf Club has a seven-race TAB meeting next Thursday (June 11).

Nominations for that meeting close 11am Friday.

Chairman of Racing NSW, Mr Russell Balding AO, has announced prizemoney levels will be restored to pre-COVID-19 levels, effective from July 1.

He also confirmed on RacingNSW prizemoney levels for the feature races in the NSW Spring Carnival will be maintained and also confirmed the dates of those races.

“Collectively, the industry has done a great job at ensuring that racing has continued during these uncertain times,” Baldin said.

“Industry participants across all sectors complied with the very strict and successful biosecurity measures adopted by Racing NSW, which were critical to enabling racing to continue during COVID-19. This in turn meant that wagering turnover, which is the main source of funding for prizemoney, was not as adversely impacted as initially feared, such that Racing NSW is in the financial position to be able to restore prizemoney levels much sooner than expected.”