Dubbo Harness Racing Club president David Wrigley recently said the club had missed out due to a clash with a Carnival of Cups meeting at Bathurst on the same night.

Wrigley said the club was obviously disappointed to lose one of its premium nights of racing but was determined to make it return in 2011.

“In hindsight we didn’t realise we would lose Boxing night and should have applied for it as our Carnival of Cups date,” Wrigley said.

“We thought if we had a big night on Easter Saturday to go with our big Boxing night meeting we could spread things out a bit but that has come back to bite us this year.

“Bathurst are on that night and we have done the figures. We have to run races at a minimum prizemoney of $1500 so to put on six races would be $9000 and we would have to fund that.

“Add $1000 for a steward and $1000 for ambulance as well as other costs and it means that, up against Bathurst, it would end up being too hard to race without losing a lot of money.”

Wrigley admitted the Dubbo club was struggling a little with dwindling crowds and a lack of support from the sport’s authorities in Sydney.

But he added that it was supported by the ‘bread and butter’ harness racing people that keep the sport alive.

“We don’t get the crowds we used to 10 years ago and that comes down to only racing 16 or 17 times a year and people finding other things to do,” he said.

“If we could get some support from Sydney, an increase in our prizemoney levels and attract better racing and more people to the sport then things could turn around.

“They have a lot of money coming into the sport from the sale of Harold Park as well as the court ruling against the corporate bookmakers recently so there is plenty that could be done.

“But they seem more interested in putting the money into the city rather than look after the people out here who pay just as much to feed and train their average horses that go around every week as the top trainers do for their good horses.”

While Boxing night is out of the question this year, Wrigley said the club would apply for the date again in 2011.

He added that an application had been put forward to race on December 27 this year but that had been knocked back.

“I’d imagine we will apply for the date next year. Like I said this year slipped away from us a bit,” he said.

“But we recognise that it is a big night with a lot of people back in town for Christmas and if there is any possibility we could maybe get it on the second Sky Channel, we will look at that as well.”