Townsville Turf Club steps in with funding relief
Horse racing has been among the few sports able to gallop on amid extended covid19 pressures, with Townsville organisers offering a generous gift to help it last.
Townsville
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HORSE racing has been among the few sports able to gallop on amid extended COVID-19 pressures, with Townsville organisers offering a generous gift to help it last.
Townsville Turf Club has given trainers a 25 per cent discount on track fees for a month, despite its own financial pressures.
President Malcolm Petrofsky said it was the right thing to do given most trainers and horse owners have been hit hard by the pandemic.
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“They’re not all professional trainers as they are in Brisbane and when people start losing jobs they still have to feed and work the horses and then it’s a flow-on burden to owners,” he said.
Nome-based trainer Georgie Holt said the gesture was a reflection of how committed those in the local industry were to keeping the sport running as smoothly as possible.
“Sometimes I can work eight to 10 horses at the track of a morning, so taking a 25 per cent cut to that is a huge help to my stable,” Ms Holt said.
“It’s been hard enough for them with the rebuild but they keep pushing on with a smile, they just seem to take it in their stride.”
Townsville Turf Club has been struggling since flood damage in 2019.
Repairs worth $12 million are yet to be finished.
Mr Petrofsky said the club would look at ways to continue offering a discount of some sort but hoped the governing body would also step in to help with some cash.
Kate Banville
Originally published as Townsville Turf Club steps in with funding relief