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It’s fantastic to be here this evening to celebrate the best of thoroughbred racing in New Zealand.

I want to extend my congratulations to all the finalists, and award winners tonight.

We’ve seen some fantastic performances from our horsemen, horsewomen, and your horses.

This includes: Dundeel in the top 20 world rankings; Silent Achiever and Rising Romance winning several top races in Australia; and Vespa, the tough two year old, trained by Jono in my home patch of Otaki winning the Karaka Million.

The next round of applications for the Racing Safety Development Fund opens today, Minister for Racing Nathan Guy has announced.

“The fund supports important projects around the country that improve racecourse health and safety standards,” Mr Guy says.

“This has included improvements for safety running rails, irrigation and drainage, horse containment fences, and grandstand repairs.”

A total of $1 million is available from the fund in the 2014/2015 financial year, and all racing clubs and racing code bodies can apply.

Racing Minister Nathan Guy and Revenue Minister Todd McClay have confirmed that Inland Revenue officials will work with the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association on a number of tax issues raised by the industry.

The issues cover questions the NZTBA has over the application of tax rules for the industry and are expected to be dealt with as part of the normal consultative process between the private sector and tax officials.

Racing Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed Ministers from Australian states to the 2014 Australasian Racing Ministers conference in Wellington today.

“This is the first time this annual event has been held in New Zealand since 2005. It’s a great opportunity to discuss common issues and challenges facing the racing industry in both our countries,” Mr Guy says.

Ministers discussed the issues of off-shore wagering and animal welfare, along with presentations from the New Zealand Racing Board and the Ministry for Primary Industries.