$5.3m turnover for New Zealand Cup day

Turnover on yesterday’s New Zealand Cup meeting topped $5m, but it was still well short of last year’s total.

Covid restrictions meant there were only around one thousand people on-course for harness racing’s biggest day and the effect on turnover was obvious.

Last year on-course turnover was over $740,000, yesterday it was $62,691.

Overall turnover for the day was just over $5.3m with off-course turnover accounting for $2,849,988 and fixed odds betting at $2,474,069.

In 2020 off-course turnover was $3,205,363 and fixed odds $2,594,709.

Yesterday’s total of $5,386,748 compared to the previous year’s $6,542,513.

The biggest turnover of the day was, as expected, on the IRT New Zealand Cup with $1,311,750 with the last race of the day next best with $505,869.

The rest of the races turned over between $288,581 and $399,680.

“We are happy with yesterday’s result,” says Harness Racing New Zealand’s General Manager - Racing Catherine McDonald, “no public on course was always going to have its effect, and we were also impacted by Covid restrictions around the country.”

“It was a strange but enjoyable day on course with very few people there but Addington Raceway did a fantastic job and we feel the day was a success.”