Included in the initiatives will be a series of $500 payments to be split equally between owners and breeders when:
- A Queensland-bred greyhound competes in its first race in Queensland
- A Queensland-bred greyhound wins its first maiden race in Queensland;
- A Queensland-bred greyhound wins a novice event in Queensland
In addition, the current unplaced travel/starter fee of $25 per greyhound will be replaced with a $40 per greyhound appearance fee paid to the trainer in cash at the meeting. This is aimed at immediately assisting with the costs associated with attending the race and comes as a direct result of consultation with participants and stakeholders.
Also, for 5 months from February 1, 2018 Racing Queensland will provide a rebate to the cost of a number of QRIC and Greyhounds Australasia charges including registration of breeding females, DNA analysis for named female greyhounds and litter registration.
Participants will be required to provide evidence of payment of the relevant charges, which RQ will then reimburse in a timely manner.
Click here to download the reimbursement form.
In addition to the $3 million allocation, $220k will be distributed to a number of feature events. The highlights include $150k total prizemoney for the Winter Cup - $100k to the winner, Ipswich Cup will be increased to Group 2 prizemoney, a new ‘Origin’ series will be added to the Winter Carnival and the minimum feature race prizemoney will be increased to $2.5k.
Dr Forbes said the new financial commitment across all codes follows the announcement by the Queensland government to commit $70 million to fund non-TAB thoroughbred racing in Queensland as a Community Service Obligation (CSO) over the next four years.
