Regionalisation measures have paid off. Bathurst's leading harness racing pacers will be able to travel to Menangle Saturday meetings from July 13, as zone restrictions to combat COVID-19 are slowly being wound back.
By July 1 Harness Racing New South Wales will have removed all zone restrictions in the state, allowing trainers to send their horses to any track they wish with no constraints.
The measures prevented trainers from sending their horses outside of their own zone, and in the western region Bathurst was the only track hosting events.
The Lagoon's Steve Turnbull said the restriction easing couldn't have come at a more crucial time for the stable, as they faced pressure to shift their stronger horses to Sydney trainers in order to race for bigger prizemoney.
"They wanted us to send horses down to Menangle to race and we didn't really want to do that because you can lose your clients," he said.
"There's different things we do with our horses that just wouldn't suit them in the environment down there. Being able to hold onto those horses instead of sending them to other trainers is great news.
"Atomic Red is a prime example of that. He needs a lot of attention given to his legs. He's the sort of horse you strive to get in this game, and you'd hate see him move to another trainer."
The path opening to Menangle gives the western region's best horses a shot at bigger prizemoney.
After the recent 20 per cent cut to prizemoney across the state Bathurst currently races for a maximum of $6,000 in regular events while horses at Menangle are regularly racing for $18,000 – or more for Group races.
The Menangle change is one of several big steps being taken by the industry over the coming month.
From Monday Bathurst will no longer be the only track in the western region hosting meetings, as racing gets set to return to Dubbo, Young and Parkes.
Turnbull said that's a massive plus for those tracks and for trainers struggling to find appropriate events for their horses.
"Our tighter assessed horses are only getting a run only every two to three weeks so that's going to be really good," he said.
"We've all got horses who like racing in the bush on the smaller tracks and that will be a good change.
"We've been getting a bit slack on the travelling part. The only worry is if we're only racing for $4,000 then you've got the travel costs on top of that, but in saying that guys from Parkes and Dubbo have had to travel here racing for less money."
The removal of restrictions still comes with strict measures being taken at tracks to ensure everyone's safety.
"Established COVID-19 Protocols will be retained at all tracks until such time as rescinded by NSW Health," the statement from HRNSW said.
"HRNSW will monitor health concerns and continue to follow the lead of Government in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic."
By Alexander Grant