New Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) CEO Dayle Brown (pictured) has declared “the shackles are off” and encouraged his executive management team to “be bold” as the long-term strategic direction of the industry is developed.

Speaking with Michael Felgate on RSN’s Racing Pulse this morning, Brown, who started at HRV in November, said harness racing had to “meet the market” and deliver “a product that people want to consume”.

“You have to look at what drives people to want to participate, what people want to support and what people want to consume,” he said.

“You have to be in the front of people’s minds and be ubiquitous … nothing is off the table going forward as we develop our strategy.”

Brown has also called on the industry to have their say in the future direction of harness racing, encouraging people to attend one of several consultation sessions around Victoria in coming months.

Starting with Cranbourne on December 16, Brown will visit harness racing centres across the state during December, January and February where he and members of the HRV Executive will listen to feedback.

“When I go around and talk to the participants it will be great to find out what they want to see. What can we do to incentivise breeding? Race programming – we need to be bold and innovative. What does the industry want to see? Wagering, what do we do in terms of our licence going forward? It’s all up for discussion.”

The January and February dates of Brown’s consultation tour will be finalised and released in coming days.

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