Punters doing their form on Southland harness racing meetings could lay claim to being the most well-informed bettors in the country.
A combined initiative between the TAB, Harness Racing New Zealand and southern administrators has resulted in a video service being introduced that will record all trials and workouts in the province.
The scheme was driven in part by HRNZ board member Murray Swain, who saw it as an essential service for both punters and owners. The service could cut out travel to workouts for owners who previously had no other way to see their pride and joy hit the track.
The benefits for punters are obvious in that they can make more informed decisions before placing bets.
The real bonus for the punter and for the TAB comes in the transparency and punter confidence the scheme brings.
The implementation of the system makes the Southland harness racing circuit one of the most transparent racing jurisdictions in Australasia.
Only the state-of-the-art services offered in areas like Hong Kong, where a horse's morning trackwork is video-recorded and televised, go further.
The videoing system has also been backed by TAB bookmakers, who will use the videos to help set their odds for southern races.
TAB officials confirmed the organisation had a direct hand in setting up the system, which is run by a local video contractor.
Whether the videoing system could be rolled out nationally - or into Otago - is unknown.
Trackside covers trials and workouts in the main racing areas, but there are some gaps in its coverage that leave those not attending those meetings in the dark about each horse's performance.
HRNZ could potentially facilitate the extension of the service, chief executive Edward Rennell said.
HRNZ would continue talks with Trackside about how harness trials and workouts are covered before making any plans to extend the service into areas such as Cambridge, Forbury Park or Oamaru.
Delivering the videos promptly so they were relevant form references to upcoming meetings was HRNZ's objective, Rennell said.
