Southern maiden stakes to get financial boost

Southern Harness is to get an extra $50,000 to help bolster stakes in maiden races.

The funding from Harness Racing New Zealand will be used during the 2025/26 season.

"The whole point is to top up as many maiden races as we can to $15,000," says HRNZ's Head of Racing and Wagering Matthew Peden, "we have had a lot of feedback over the years that maiden stakes need to be improved in places like Southland so we are doing all we can to improve that."

"We certainly appreciate the injection of money to the region," says Southern Harness General Manager and National Bureau member Jason Broad.

"We have races now where the stake is $12,000 so it will be great to increase them where possible and we will start doing that in October and then spread it out over the season."

The increase will apply to both gaits
 
"It reflects HRNZ's commitment to racing in the region," says Peden, "and follows on from new initiatives we have started down there like the Southern Surge."

Decisions on what races are selected, and the size of the top ups, will be made jointly by Southern Harness and HRNZ.