Victoria to continue jump racing but with changes to the rules

Some changes are coming, and 11 new recommendations have been made. The aim is to make sure that jump racing can continue for as long as possible in Australia. These changes must be made to ensure that jump racing in Victoria will continue. How long that actually holds off the sword of Damocles that has been hanging over jump racing for a long time now is an entirely different matter.

Races down with track changes

Jump races only make up a very small part of the fixtures during a season anyway. They are set to fall further from 72 to 62 with Sale set to no longer host any further jump races. There is also going to be a change at Pakenham. They may race all the way through the 2025 jump season but it could be that they finish earlier.

While it is a shame that opportunities to take on the horse racing bookmakers are going to be reduced when it comes to jump racing, the attempts to make sure that racing takes place on tracks that are as suitable as possible for the sport.

Eleven recommendations that have been made

The first two have been discussed above. A shortened season will reduce the number of races and jump racing will only be focused on tracks that are specifically prepared for jump racing. On top of those, jump meetings cannot be moved from one track to another after the nominations close.

Jump tracks will have to be prepared to be softer. Soft 5 is as quick as the ground can be with tracks preparing as close to a soft 6 to start as possible. Good 4 is now considered unraceable for jumps and if a track upgrades from soft 5 to good 4, the remaining races will be abandoned.

Trial venues will be increased and more competitive trials will be created to try and replicate as close to race conditions as possible. Trials will often be conducted the day after a jump meeting so that they are run on a track that has already been prepared for jump racing.

To add to this, formal schooling days will be created and there will be a jumps jockey coach position created to mentor the jockeys.

Binding straps which hold hurdles in place will be loosened to make sure obstacles are more flexible if they are hit. This was trialled towards the end of last season and has been considered a success.

The positions of the obstacles themselves will also be reviewed. Changing where they are located on the track for maximum safety is important to try and minimise horses who fail to finish a race. The final of the 11 is below.

Racing Victoria introduces a jump task force

It will be the job of the jump task force to measure the jump racing fixtures during the season by the 11 recommendations that have been set out. They will report to Racing Victoria at the end of every season about how the recommendations have been met.

This working group will examine the overall financial performance of jump racing. It is charged with reducing Racing Victoria's operational cost of hosting jump racing while boosting the coffers elsewhere by finding grants and sponsorships.

The good news for jump racing fans is that there are at least three more years to enjoy. After that, a further large-scale review of the sport will be made, with smaller ones after every season to try and keep the sport moving forward.