The advent of open nominations and increased prize money for prestige jumping races are two initiatives in place for the 2013 jumps racing season.
The season begins in earnest at Wingatui tomorrow and Otago Racing Club chief executive Andre Klein, who doubles as the secretary of the New Zealand Jumps, said the open nominations system should ensure every horse nominated for a jumps race will get a start.
While some maiden hurdlers and steeplechasers may have to race against race winners, there will be a $1000 maiden bonus for the first maiden home, unless they win the race.
''We're going down the same track, but just with enhanced stakes and the open nomination systems,'' Klein said.
''We just call for nominations and make the fields up from that.''
The nominations for the hurdle and the steeplechase at Wingatui are a little light but hopes are high the incentives will result in more runners in the lower South Island in following years, if not this year.
Klein's personal interest for this year, Cee Gee Jay, is, sadly, out for this season and most likely retired. However, if given a choice between racing a flat horse and a jumper, the latter wins every time for the Englishman who still tries to get back to Cheltenham in England for the jumping carnival every March.
''I've never had any issues trying to syndicate jumpers,'' he said.
''Most people in horse racing are in it for the thrills and you get a longer kick of adrenaline in jumps racing.
''The cost of getting a horse ready for jumping is significantly more than it is for flat racing. You have to persevere longer, and all the effort involved in schooling, and there's more chance the horse will injure itself along the way.
''But once they're up and going, the thrills in jumps racing I think are far superior to what they are on the flat.''
Increased stakes for feature jumping races were announced earlier this year, with an extra $150,000 spread across the major jumping days.
Klein said the pattern of jumps racing every fortnight in each region would continue. The northern region's first jumps races will be at Te Rapa on May 4, and the Central Districts circuit begins at Wanganui on May 7.
