Two southern racing groups have received a total of $50k in Government funding. 

The Southland Racing Club and Southern Harness Racing are two of 17 racing clubs across New Zealand that have received Government funding to improve safety at their racecourses.

The grants are made available through the Racing Safety Development Fund, which provides $1 million annually to racecourse safety across two funding rounds.

The Southland Racing Club received $25,000 for a verti-drainage machine, while Southern Harness Racing was granted $23,197 for an upgrade to its mobile barrier vehicle. 

A total of $389,351 was spent in this latest funding round. 

The next funding round opens for applications on July 31, 2019 and closes on September 25, 2019.

New Zealand’s racing clubs, and the respective code bodies, are encouraged to apply to the fund where there are safety improvements that need assistance.