Harness racing in Tasmania will lose five meetings next season under a new calendar released by Tasracing.
The number of harness meetings will fall from 92 in 2025/26 to 87 in 2026/27, with two cuts in Hobart, two in Burnie and one in Launceston.
All five are in secondary Sky Racing timeslots. Tasracing says meetings shown on Sky 1, its main national broadcast channel, are unaffected.
Greyhound racing will gain one meeting next season, with Hobart picking up a new Christmas Eve fixture, while thoroughbred racing will hold 61 meetings.
Tasracing chief executive Andrew Jenkins said several factors were weighed up when setting the dates, but television coverage came first.
He said Tasracing “considered Sky 1 coverage as a priority when making these decisions”.
“We also consider on-course attendance, tradition and community impact, major racing carnivals, feature races and gazetted public holidays,” Jenkins said.
He said Tasracing consulted racing clubs before locking in the calendar and tried to meet their requests.
The new season also changes when some harness racing is held, with 22 Sunday afternoon meetings scheduled, up from 10 last season.
Those meetings replace Sunday twilight fixtures, allowing participants to get home earlier.
Devonport’s harness meetings have been shifted elsewhere, with 10 going to Launceston and two to Burnie.
Several feature races are also on the move.
The Group 1 Tasmania Cup shifts to December 19, while the Beautide will be run at Launceston for the first time on August 1.
