Jumps racing will continue in Victoria. This decision was announced by Racing Victoria on Monday afternoon. Certain new conditions will be imposed in a bid to make the jumps safer for horses and riders. Some of the measures include trialling of a strand start, imposing requirements for horses to school before stewards prior to jumps trials, qualifying for feature jumps races, the removal of the final jumps in all races, heart rate checks following schooling and programming more jumps races as le
Jumps racing will continue in Victoria. This decision was announced by Racing Victoria on Monday afternoon. Certain new conditions will be imposed in a bid to make the jumps safer for horses and riders. Some of the measures include trialling of a strand start, imposing requirements for horses to school before stewards prior to jumps trials, qualifying for feature jumps races, the removal of the final jumps in all races, heart rate checks following schooling and programming more jumps races as lead-ups to feature races.
While RV's decision looks a good one, there's a serpent lurking below...Apparently, jumps racing will be monitored on a race by race basis which more or less gives RV a guillotine to hang over the heads of the industry. The problem will be -- how many people will want to invest in jumps racing if there is no long-term guarantees it will continue? Racing Victoria has made a mickey-mouse decision. It wants to have it both ways. Or, as some would say, it hasn't got the guts to emphatically decide, JUMPS RACING WILL STAY!