Return of harness racing in hyperdrive at the trials

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Bernard Saundry says an earlier comeback is still possible for the gallops.

Racing bosses haven't given up on an early comeback for thoroughbred racing, as the return of harness racing next week has gone into hyperdrive.

The first horse racing in New Zealand since lockdown are scheduled for Addington tomorrow week when harness racing resumes.

Harness Racing New Zealand is already looking into putting on more races than originally programmed that night after staggering numbers turned up at local trials.

A two-day programme of trials at Addington this week has seen 262 put through their paces, more than enough for two full meetings and even enough for three workable ones.

That is going to leave plenty of trainers disappointed when their horses can't get a start at the Addington re-launch.

Harness trials and workouts have also already resumed in the Auckland and Waikato regions, ensuring the first racehorse meeting held in the North Island since mid-March will have strong support at Cambridge on Sunday week.

That is almost five weeks before thoroughbred racing is scheduled for a return at Riccarton on July 3 but New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Bernard Saundry says an earlier comeback is still possible for the gallops.

"We are going to be really guided by the numbers of horses we see trialing in early June," he said.

"If we get overwhelming numbers there then we can look into the possibility of coming back a week earlier, maybe even sooner."

Thoroughbred racing will be the last of the three codes to return because the majority of its horses are trained on public tracks, which were closed during lockdown level 4. Greyhounds have already resumed.

Training at those tracks is now back in full swing but they are treated as work places and Covid-19 protocols have been adopted smoothly and with no significant breaches or issues reported around the country.

Racing in all three codes will be conducted without crowds unless, the country returns to level 1 or there is a significant easing of restrictions at level 2.

• NZTR and HRNZ have started the consultative process around closing venues not given licences for next season. However, the initial proposed dates calendar for next season saw both the 1000 and 2000 Guineas moved north from Riccarton for at least this year.

But that has been strongly challenged by Canterbury racing bosses and it wouldn't surprise to see a backtrack when that decision is finalised in two weeks.