Harness Racing Victoria will implement racing changes for the 2026-27 season to strengthen participation, enhance its feature racing, and optimise prizemoney distribution.
The season will again include a six-week Summer of Glory carnival, prizemoney will be boosted at the grassroots level, and first-win bonuses will be more targeted.
HRV’s racing department has consulted with the Victorian Trainers and Drivers Association and Harness Breeders Victoria to deliver stronger participant, racing and industry benefits, which take effect from 1 July 2026.
The FY27 calendar will host 388 race meetings, down from 400 in FY26, with reduced Sunday and Monday night meetings, when participation and wagering are lower.
Summer of Glory locked in as six-week flagship carnival
HRV will retain the six-Saturday Summer of Glory in 2027. The carnival will again connect the Bendigo, Shepparton, Ballarat, Cranbourne and Kilmore cups with the state’s premier night, the A G Hunter Cup and Great Southern Star, at Melton.
The decision follows a strong 2026 campaign, which elevated the Summer of Glory brand, reinforced its standing as a flagship national series and delivered positive wagering outcomes. Turnover from the country cup races was up 3 per cent on 2025 and 23 per cent on 2024.
Prizemoney changes to boost grassroots returns
HRV will increase the minimum prize money for NR40-49 races from $4,000 to $5,000 from 1 July.
The NR40-49 band accounts for a significant share of Victoria’s active horse population, with the change to benefit a large cross-section of owners, trainers and horses across the state. The initiative is expected to cost approximately $699,000 a year.
To compensate for the NR40-49 increase, 12 Saturday night metropolitan meetings will have total pools of $97,000, down from the $145,000 average. These will primarily be scheduled for nights that have interstate features, such as Queensland’s Inter Dominion and New South Wales’ Miracle Mile, which regularly draw Victoria’s leading participants and horses.
Field-size settings updated for non-metro racing
HRV will reduce the maximum field size from 12 runners to 10 at non-metro meetings to maintain sustainable and competitive racing programs.
The change applies only to tracks with a circumference of 900 metres or more. Metropolitan Saturday night meetings and all Vicbred Super Series races will continue to have a maximum field size of 12.
HRV will target a minimum of seven starters for two-year-old, three-year-old, and free-for-all races, and eight starters for all other races, while retaining discretion where required to ensure meetings proceed.
| Race category | Maximum field size | Minimum starters |
| Non-metro meetings at 900m+ tracks | 10 | Target 8 |
| Metro Saturday night meetings | 12 | Category dependent |
| Vicbred Super Series races | 12 | Category dependent |
| 2YO, 3YO and Free For All races | As programmed | Target 7 |
First-win bonuses focused on rewarding younger Victorian-bred horses
HRV’s first-win bonus model will change from 1 January next year to better reward younger Victorian-bred horses and encourage breeding in Victoria.
Bonuses for Vicbred Platinum and Vicbred Pure two, three and four-year-olds will increase. To compensate for the change, standard Vicbred bonuses will be reduced, and horses aged five years and older will no longer be eligible.
The changes, developed with Harness Breeders Victoria and the Victorian Trainers and Drivers Association, strengthen breeding and ownership incentives earlier in a horse’s career and direct more support to Victorian breeding.
Almost 75 per cent of first-win bonus recipients fall into the categories that are increasing. About 70 horses that received $2,500 bonuses last year would not receive payments under the new model. To enable participants to adjust to the changes, they will not be introduced until 1 January, 2027.
The new payment structure is outlined below:
| Category | New total | Change |
| 2 & 3YO Vicbred Platinum/Pure | $8,000 | +$1,000 |
| 4YO Vicbred Platinum/Pure | $6,000 | +$1,000 |
| 5YO+ Vicbred Platinum/Pure | $0 | -$2,500 |
| 2 & 3YO Vicbred | $5,000 | -$2,000 |
| 4YO Vicbred | $4,000 | -$1,000 |
| 5YO Vicbred | $0 | -$2,500 |
Vicbred Super Series to anchor spring
As announced in April, the APG Vicbred Super Series will launch Victorian harness racing’s spring, the rich two, three and four-year-old series brought forward to run from 28 August to 19 September.
The Vicbred Super Series will precede the Need For Speed trotting series on 10 October, the Victorian pacing Derby and Oaks on 17 October, the Redwood Classic and Trotting Derby at Maryborough on 1 November, and the Breeders Crown finals on 19 December.
This year will mark the final running of the Australasian Breeders Crown in its current form, with the December series to feature only three-year-olds. The Breeders Crown and Vicbred Super Series will be merged in 2027 to form the Vicbred Breeders Crown, preserving the strongest elements of both series in a single Victorian hallmark event.
