of the Gawler Harness Racing

Club remained unresolved.

It is no secret the club has

struggled to find a long term

strategy to deal with their relocation issue because of the NEXY project.

And now they are faced with more bad news with the clubs race meetings being cut from 15 to one.

Labor Member for Light, Tony Piccolo said it is a case of “slash and burn” and says he is committed to following the issue further to make sure the club is not “kicked while they are down”.

“The industry representatives of Harness Racing SA need to work with Gawler rather than trash them,” Mr Piccolo said.

“Harness racing and the entire sport of horse racing is very important to Gawler and I will be going into bat for them.”

Mr Piccolo has written a letter to HRSA outlining his strong rejection to the decline in the number of race meets.

“The recent decision by HRSA seems to contradict the commitment given in an earlier letter stating the Gawler Club would have 15 Friday nigh meetings allocated during 07/08 and 08/09,” he said.

Mr Piccolo believes the decision to cut meets could not have come at a worse time as the club is in the process of making key decisions about their future.

“The club is currently exploring three options - to race at Globe Derby, to find a new site in Gawler or to merge with Kapunda,” he said.

“It’s fair to say there are mixed reactions within the club.

“I have been having discussions behind the scenes with some key players in Adelaide to make sure the GHRC is not forgotten.”

Mr Piccolo will meet with the club on June 25 to discuss what action they wish for him to take.

Another option currently being floated, and possibly explored, is combining harness racing with the current thoroughbred track in Gawler.

Similar tracks combining harness, greyhound and thoroughbred racing appear in Victoria.

“The decision to combine the two clubs is a question of now or never,” Mr Piccolo said referring to the $12million upgrade of the Gawler race track.

Mr Piccolo is expecting a decision to be made in a week or two and said it’s not a decision for the Government but a decision for the club.

But Philip Bentley, director of Thoroughbred Racing SA said

no-one from the Harness Racing industry is yet to raise anything

in respect of harness racing at Gawler.