HRNZ announcement - Gary Woodham

Harness Racing New Zealand Chief Executive Gary Woodham will be taking a short leave of absence, after suffering a medical event at work yesterday.

After undergoing surgery at Christchurch Hospital, Gary's condition has stabilised over the last 24 hours. He's expected to return home over the weekend.

In Gary's absence General Manager Corporate Services Liz Bishop will be responsible for all operational and financial matters and General Manager - Racing Catherine McDonald will deal with everything racing-related.

Our thoughts go out to Gary and his family and we ask everyone to respect their privacy at this time.

There will be updates on the HRNZ website and social media channels as necessary.