Horse Racing: Industry sees increase in prizemoney in 2018-2019

And there is more to come, promised HNWRA chairman Rod Watt.

The Armidale solicitor was speaking at Monday's Tamworth TAB meeting where the HNWRA had conducted its annual awards ceremony in the John Clift Stand.

Watt, also the president of the Armidale Jockey Club, was delighted with the figures produced by all 24 HNWRA clubs.

"We've had a very good season," Watt said.

"We've distributed more than $18million in prizemoney. That's a huge amount. We have some very successful trainers in the association and hard working committees at the clubs."

"We've also got three of the major country NSW clubs in Tamworth, Scone and Muswellbrook."

He said it's also good to see women in racing with not only some outstanding female trainers such as Sue Grills, Michelle Flemming and Melanie O'Gorman but female jockeys and some rising young female jockeys such as Yvette Lewis and Wendy Peel.

Peel won the apprentices premiership with 25 wins in the HNWRA last season and Lewis is currently leading the new season's apprentices' premiership with 14 wins. That also places her second in the jockey's premiership behind only Aaron Bullock (24) with last season's premiership winner, Greg Ryan, on 13.

Watt said all HNWRA clubs contributed to another excellent season with 118 meetings all up and $18,878,535 in prizemoney distributed, an increase of more than $1.5million.

That was an average of $159,216 per meeting and $25,118 per race compared to a $21,687 average last season.

8,413 horses started in those 118 races, an average of 10.64 which was also up slightly on last season's 10.23 average.

While Tamworth Jockey Club suffered a disappointing abandonment of its Monday meeting this week after two races Inverell Jockey Club returns to racing on Saturday.

The IJC's five-race non-TAB Country meeting drew 63 nominations.