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Harness Racing NSW Annual Report

Harness & Greyhounds
warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
Harness & Greyhounds
The HRNSW Annual Report is now available for the 2024/25 year, a quick summary income down 3.34%, loss for the year $ 5.88 million, administration cost up 38.8%, if not for the future fund investment from the sale of Harold Park loss would have been $8.3 million. Not one Harness Racing State actually runs at a profit. The future looks grim Australia wide.
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Comments

  • savethegamesavethegame    3,215 posts
    The participants have contributed strongly to the demise of Harness Racing, over past seventy years,some names should have disappeared in seventies forever.
    .Australia wide problem, The Fat Lady been reaching for the Fisherman's Friend to clear the tonsils.for few years.
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  • JayJayJayJay    8,623 posts
    The inept management has contributed more STG, much much more. It is one of the preferred urban myths of Harness Management Australia wide to sheet home the blame of our demise on participants, the greatest subsiders of the Industry that have ever existed.

    Those annual reports seem all the same, sort of a Deja Vu when reading them, just change the logo on the front cover. Creative writing awards to the authors, all of whom are reminiscent of Larry Vaughn......remember him, the Mayor of Amity Island in the Jaws films....."Come on in, the water is fine, no safer place to swim in the world, that big itty bitty old fish won't eat your children, all fixed".

    Difference between the NSW and WA report (ours is a 3 code report greatly assisted by the gallops and the dogs performance and hard to make a direct comparison) is that our loss is about 4 to 5 times greater. The CEO has been to the same school as ours....."stringent cost controls to overcome downturn in betting" he says, having had actual costs go up $1.7 million, admin costs up a staggering 38.8%....they must have similar tree painting junkets to Broome and assorted conferences as our lot of top brass, with exorbitant salaries to match. A business that loses $28 million a year and yet pays it's CEO north of $700k per annum would be rushed off it's feet on the day 1 listing on the stock exchange....by sellers.

    Stakes up, he trumpets by 1.2%.......anyone told him that inflation is running at 3.5% resulting in less money to participants...still better than WA, ours didn't go up at all.

    And the rumoured solution for WA Harness,aside from those Industry turnover saving "Lightning Lap" races at Pinjarra every Monday, and  already partially instituted with stake cuts to outer provincial tracks, is to allegedly cut around 50 meetings out of the country programme??? Yep that will work, the greatest loss maker in the Industry with its $450,000 FFA for the big end of town continues on unimpeded, paying out completely unaffordable stakes and producing a terrible return on revenue of 32.9 cents in the dollar. 

    Getting that by the Racing Minister, and Shadow Minister Hunter, seen in cohorts with the Pinjarra Secretary (and concurrent Vice President of WACHRA) on Monday, must be yet another onerous task for the Special Projects Manager.
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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    Maybe some of you out in Harness Land can come up with some suggestions how we can reduce our CODB and increase our income.
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  • Vincent_vegaVincent_vega    674 posts
    warrenrobinson said:

    The HRNSW Annual Report is now available for the 2024/25 year, a quick summary income down 3.34%, loss for the year $ 5.88 million, administration cost up 38.8%, if not for the future fund investment from the sale of Harold Park loss would have been $8.3 million. Not one Harness Racing State actually runs at a profit. The future looks grim Australia wide.

    warrenrobinson said:

    The HRNSW Annual Report is now available for the 2024/25 year, a quick summary income down 3.34%, loss for the year $ 5.88 million, administration cost up 38.8%, if not for the future fund investment from the sale of Harold Park loss would have been $8.3 million. Not one Harness Racing State actually runs at a profit. The future looks grim Australia wide.




    Admin cost up 38%
    Thats the piss take of the century, especially in a diminishing financial environment.

    warrenrobinson, JayJay likes this post.

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  • JayJayJayJay    8,623 posts
    A $680,000 increase in Admin Costs (38.8%)  when stakes rose just $405,000 (1.2%). There was an extra spend on the Carnival of Cups (not including prizemoney) of $1.4 million (Bands, post race entertainment etc). And we believe we need a parliamentary inquiry???
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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    I would have thought the cost of entertainment would have been the clubs, a lot of money $1.4 million and certainly not a good ROI on money invested.
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  • savethegamesavethegame    3,215 posts
    The whole shooting match, Not my money not my problem, just sender were ever it lands.
    Haven't we seen some beauty's in recent times.
    Alleged Three different planes charted to Geraldton Cup surely one big one be half the cost.
    Swab attended sent to country meeting to train new person how to hold cannister 1700 return flight 800 wages double time.
    Media tech due to three meetings same day couldn't produce the normal 16 staff sent 9,job was done as normal..
    Thought Bunbury redevelopment was going to be 18 million under Charlotte Mills steering, think it got out to 30plus million.
    Cannington dogs been to Northam dogs once in ,three of us standing trainer know to us says the track replacement will be a disaster due to landscaper doing it sure enough it had to be redone
    Fly around the world to locate pacer.We find him in Ireland Meadow branch DJ starts at Northam runs 9th in C2. 
    Could go on and on Alleged people to recieve  units if G.P development  goes ahead.
    Is there anywhere we can get a portrait  of Jim Leahy for our club GMTC.  To have on display.
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  • MarkovinaMarkovina    3,307 posts
    Its very hard for any racing code to actually break even in todays climate 

    However , how many racing administrators actually know what they are doing or going to do , and how many are just guessing 

    Iwill never forget , i heard Roger Montgomery about 3-4 years back a leading Sydney Stock broker - got his own broking firm and has a column in Sat Aust newspaper - and he did have a regular spot ( havent listened for a while ) on Phil Clarks ABC Radio night time show 

    Phil wasnt their one night and the stand in bloke was asking Roger some different/interesting questions , and Roger said quote word for word , " Look on a day to day basis i am surrounded by idiots " an amazing thing to say , basically saying that he thought that alot of stock brokers did not have a clue and were purely guesing 
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  • JayJayJayJay    8,623 posts
    What's the ROI on flying the troops up to Broome for Cup Week? Always seems to be a certain urgency from the upper echelons to attend to important matters in the Broome Sunshine, no doubt at personal expense, blue paint supplied to brush on the fake metal tree. Always helps if the Minister needs to brush up on his tan at the same time?

    Vincent_vega, PackedMetalPanda, warrenrobinson likes this post.

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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    What's the ROI on RWA part funding 2 salaries at a country harness club.

    TimmyBee, JayJay likes this post.

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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    What would the ROI be on RWA employing a Corporate Affairs Manager( good news only reporter).

    Vincent_vega likes this post.

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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    What would the ROI be in X interviews?
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  • JayJayJayJay    8,623 posts
    Listening to Harness Impresario Brown last Friday suggesting that in order to hopefully prop up and maintain stakes (at GP of course), the only way "forward" is to cut meetings, with all Sunday Meetings firmly in the crosshairs, a strategy bound to thrill the entitled few.

    This strategy, akin to removing the blades from your lawnmower to make it easier to push, is going to improve turnover? The lifeblood of the industry? Seriously? Another tray of magic mushies for Hasler Drive please?

    Early market is that none of the purple circle's preferred venues will lose a date, it will be the outer country clubs that are asked to politely bend over and take one up the blurter for the team, whilst the entitled few merrily carry on? Nothing like a $450,000 same old Friday Night, interstate representative free FFA to drag the punters away from outlaying and attending the Pinnacles in their droves.

    Perhaps the money saved from axing Sunday Racing can be used to extend the X Interviews that have demonstrably failed to do anything for turnover (if they have, where are the figures?) to clubs other than the preferred two who currently get this service? 

    Any truth to the rumour that a prominent WACHRA representative has been heard suggesting that it is okay to trim up Sunday Racing dates for some clubs? A case of nest feathering compromising the requirement to represent ALL country clubs?

    LightningJake likes this post.

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  • Vincent_vegaVincent_vega    674 posts
    edited December 2025
    To be honest i think the X interviews are hopeless. If they want to grow turnover, especially on a Friday night, have the races and all local interviews on the Racing Wa 7 platform. It’s a waste having it if it’s not going to promote the local product full time. But please get better compares, i cant stand Riley Morgan and co. Bring back Wes and Marty like the channel 31 days

    Yarracoola likes this post.

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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    JayJay said:

    Listening to Harness Impresario Brown last Friday suggesting that in order to hopefully prop up and maintain stakes (at GP of course), the only way "forward" is to cut meetings, with all Sunday Meetings firmly in the crosshairs, a strategy bound to thrill the entitled few.

    This strategy, akin to removing the blades from your lawnmower to make it easier to push, is going to improve turnover? The lifeblood of the industry? Seriously? Another tray of magic mushies for Hasler Drive please?

    Early market is that none of the purple circle's preferred venues will lose a date, it will be the outer country clubs that are asked to politely bend over and take one up the blurter for the team, whilst the entitled few merrily carry on? Nothing like a $450,000 same old Friday Night, interstate representative free FFA to drag the punters away from outlaying and attending the Pinnacles in their droves.

    Perhaps the money saved from axing Sunday Racing can be used to extend the X Interviews that have demonstrably failed to do anything for turnover (if they have, where are the figures?) to clubs other than the preferred two who currently get this service? 

    Any truth to the rumour that a prominent WACHRA representative has been heard suggesting that it is okay to trim up Sunday Racing dates for some clubs? A case of nest feathering compromising the requirement to represent ALL country clubs?

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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    That WACRHA representative wouldn't be the same one that held a club to ransom over a rumuneration package?
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  • MarkovinaMarkovina    3,307 posts
    Vincent_vega said:

    To be honest i think the X interviews are hopeless. If they want to grow turnover, especially on a Friday night, have the races and all local interviews on the Racing Wa 7 platform. It’s a waste having it if it’s not going to promote the local product full time. But please get better compares, i cant stand Riley Morgan and co. Bring back Wes and Marty like the channel 31 days

    You say quote - "If they want to grow turnover " - im afraid that in a material way is impossible with Trotting , because of its once poor reputation , and young people/punters today have got an ignorant view that its still not fair dinkum 

    Saw a young professional bloke about 6 weeks back - he liked a punt - gallops - sports betting and a night at the casino , i said i prefer the Trots , and he said thats rigged isnt it 

    Trotting is paying big time for its  very seedy reputation in the past - Rex Hocking won a Miracle Mile on Reichman - however he gave the game away in the mid 80s , he said publicly if you win out of turn harm will come your way . George Freeman in Sydney a notorious gangster and SP Bookie , had leading drivers on his payroll in the 80s , theyd all come to his house Frid lunchtime and pick up their pay packets , so obviously if the 5to 4 fave is going to be hooked because its driver was on his payroll then he would lay it for a bundle 

    If Cam Brown wants to save WA Trotting then as Jay Jay says you dont close little clubs who race at close to break even . Instead you look at the Vic experience , who have **** away $90 million in industry funds , thus Brown should immediately cut GP stakes by 25% accross the board - so 20k races becomes 15k - Northam Bunbury and Pinj dont race for 9.5k anymore they race for 7.5k , and Albany who race for 9k a race they are cut to 6k - this is what is called trying to balance the books 

    And Gary Hall Snr and his fellow pack of whingers have not got a leg to stand , they should be so grateful that they have been kissed on the diick for many many years with an unbelievably generous distribution of racing funds - not based on Trottings hopeless turnover at all , and much to the detriment of the gallops industry , who have been financially sccrewed propping up loss making Trotting 

    Like ive said many times if P Vlandys was the CEO of the Perth gallops then the Liquidator would have changed the locks at GP a decade ago

    warrenrobinson, savethegame likes this post.

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  • JayJayJayJay    8,623 posts
    warrenrobinson said:

    That WACRHA representative wouldn't be the same one that held a club to ransom over a rumuneration package?

    A parliamentary Inquiry with witnesses under oath would answer that question, I would think.
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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    Hey JayJay what's the ROI on GP again?
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  • warrenrobinsonwarrenrobinson    567 posts
    GP could be great again with strong leadership and smart management.

    AbbysAce likes this post.

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  • JayJayJayJay    8,623 posts
    Friday night metro ROI on revenue generated v stakes paid was 32.9 cents in the dollar for 23/24. 

    Tuesday midweeks are higher given the stakes payout is less but they still run at a hideous loss, living way beyond their means. If it were Woolies or Coles, they wouldn't open the doors Monday morning.

    Frog, savethegame, VillageKid likes this post.

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  • JayJayJayJay    8,623 posts
    edited December 2025
    warrenrobinson said:

    GP could be great again with strong leadership and smart management.


    Ditto RWWA, not quite sure the current impresarios will lead harness to the promised land. Politically, no one seems too bothered, operate at a screaming loss, run down cash at hand, rundown reserves, present an Annual report to Parliament, continue to blame everything under the sun bar themselves (poor betting environment, covid, animal welfare activists, climate change, World War 2...whatever).

    That's the trouble when you don't have a viable, sensible, persistent, concerned opposition in parliament, they get crunched day in day out. No one gives a monkeys.


    warrenrobinson, savethegame, VillageKid likes this post.

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