$270,000 Boost For Queensland Greyhound Racing Winter Carnival

(RQ) has today announced a prizemoney increase for the greyhound racing code over the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival.

Racing Minister Steve Dickson said the extra $269,690 boost from 1 June through to 30 June would attract quality fields and increase turnover.

“The Newman Government has delivered upon our election promise to rebuild a solid, accountable governance structure for racing from the ground up, and this announcement is one of the first outcomes of the new arrangement,” Mr Dickson said.

“The 30,000 strong sector is now being led by its best and brightest, with the return to a code-specific control board model ensuring grassroots industry participants are directly involved in decisions which will build their livelihoods.”

RQ Greyhound Manager Jim Torpey said the prizemoney increase had been an priority for the Board at its first official meeting with industry associations on 21 May.

“It was essential that greyhound racing received a prizemoney increase, and this extra $269,690 is the unused prizemoney from the 2012-2013 financial year,” Mr Torpey said.

“Therefore, it only made sense to utilise that available money and inject it into the prizemoney on offer over the Winter Carnival.

“We hope the injection will attract better fields, which will hopefully then attract higher turnover.”

Mr Torpey said the QGRB decided the Greyhound Racing Club was the main priority to receive additional prizemoney in June.

“Local industry participants were on their knees after the floods which devastated the Rockhampton track earlier this year,” he said.

“They lost seven weeks of racing and countless dollars in prizemoney, so it was only fair to double their prizemoney in June to help the club and its participants get back on their feet.”

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments