It has been gratifying to see that the horse racing codes, both thoroughbred and harness, have been able to continue to stage meetings throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The implementation of strict bio-security measures for participants and other measures, such as the absence of crowds, has meant that the racing product has been able to be seamlessly delivered to off-course fans & punters. Turnover figures have remained strong helping to sustain prize-money and the livelihoods of the thousands of Victorians employed in the racing industry. Full credit must go to the racing authorities for the pro-active steps they have taken and the discipline exhibited by participants in observing the directives which have been issued. Whilst minor scares and positive Covid tests may occur from time to time it appears that the industry is well placed to contain and confine these.

Pointon Partners has a long history of providing legal advice to racing industry participants and institutions. This traces all the way back to the 1990's when we were involved in advising on the creation of large scale racing syndicates for clients. These were established by way of public company and accompanying prospectus and which was the first occasion such a structure had been used for racing syndicates in Australia.

Since that time we have acted for and advised:

  • group 1 winning trainers;
  • racehorse syndicators;
  • thoroughbred and harness breeders and which has included advice concerning the shuttling of stallions from the Northern hemisphere;
  • thoroughbred and harness owners;
  • racing publications;
  • ventures which have established JV arrangements with wagering operators in relation to innovative new betting products;
  • a peak body in the racing industry in relation to various aspects of its operations including broadcast rights.

This engagement with our racing industry clients has remained very active and robust during the course of this year.

We would like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to one of our clients, Friends of Mr Ed Pty Ltd, which has developed a social networking app for racehorse owners called 'Fred'. The 'Fred' app has recently gone live for download for both IOS and android users. It provides a platform on which a racehorse owner can follow the weekly progress of their horse and also connect with and interact with other owners of the horse. This has never been more important than now when there isn't the opportunity to meet fellow owners at the track and either celebrate with, or commiserate with, them following a race. Friends of Mr Ed Pty Ltd was established by Amy Thompson and Richard Busso who are passionate racehorse owners and also very experienced in the digital media space. We wish Amy and Richard all the best with their venture and would encourage you to download the 'Fred' app and see if it will enhance your racehorse ownership experience. We are sure it will. The app is available for download via this link Download Fred today or their website www.friendsofmred.com

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