Troy Corstens has defended Racing Victoria’s decision to increase scratching fees and has called on trainers to “look beyond our own back fences” when assessing the implications of the changes.
The move, which was announced by RV on Monday and will come into effect from February, has drawn criticism online from some trainers, including that there was a lack of stakeholder consultation and that small stables are being deliberately squeezed out of the industry.
Under the new model, which the governing body hopes will bolster field sizes and increase wagering, standard scratching fees will rise to $274.25 – up from $240. This mirrors the riding fee paid to jockeys of scratched horses.
The long-standing 50 per cent discount for scratchings before 4pm the day prior will disappear. In its place, a $100 fee will apply if a horse comes out before rider declarations.
A trainer will be charged $120 if they scratch with a vet certificate.
Corstens, a multiple G1-winning trainer and new President of the Australian Trainers Association, said his ATA executive has been working hard to ensure the views of trainers are properly canvassed by the industry’s decision makers.
“The new scratching structure did not just appear overnight,” Corstens said.
“It has been the subject of wide consultation through the ATA, TROA and Racing Victoria’s Racing Forum.”
“Every stakeholder group had the opportunity to contribute and many did.”
“I can assure you the current (ATA) executive works their backsides off advocating for Victorian trainers every single day.”
“We represent 785 trainers in Victoria alone. No decision is ever going to satisfy every single individual, but our job is to make the decision that serves the majority and safeguards the industry’s long-term health.”
“This industry only survives when we look beyond our own back fences and think about the wellbeing of the whole system.”
“This is not a perfect-world decision; it is a structural response to the financial pressures facing every PRA in the country, and the reality that field sizes drive wagering, and wagering drives prizemoney.”
“RVL have already made massive internal cuts to try to maintain prizemoney at current levels. That comes with real people losing real jobs.”
“The only alternative to protecting field sizes would have been cuts to prizemoney, and I don’t think anyone in this industry wants to see that.”
Corstens also said the new structure isn’t designed to penalise trainers that do the right thing and, in fact, mirrors the system already in place in several others states.
“If you scratch early, you pay less. If you scratch with a vet certificate, you pay less again. If you scratch with a 30-day stand-down, it’s free,” he said.
“This model is already in place in NSW, QLD and WA; Victoria has simply aligned.”
