Major Stake Cut For Tassie Cup

This years Tasmanian pacing cup has had a major stakes cuts as the industry in Tasmania is in a bad way at the moment. The Cup has been cut from $100k to $40k a difference of $60k, this race has now lost its grand circuit status and also it's group one status.
To cut this race by so much is a crying shame and now leaves Tasmanian harness racing with out one, group one race . The race over the years has been won by some of the greats in the industry, including, Jack Morris, Shakermaker, Golden Reign, and the list goes on, and now we could see a claimer come into the race and win it, as all the major player have taken this race off their radar.
Tasmanian harness racing was booming 6 years ago, with betfair coming on line in the state and the labour party putting massive amount of money into racing it the state, the Tasmanian Pacing Club hosted the richest pacing series in the world in 2006 with the Interdon being worth a total of $1.5million, now we see their major race reduced to to $40k, something is wrong!!
Last years  Tasmanian cup was a fantastic result for the TPC, with a massive crowd on track to cheer local heroes, turn over was up, and on course takings broke all records, but Tas Racing still decided to reduce stakes on feature races.
So from 2006 to now the industry in Tasmania has gone from being rich to tatters, nearly over night. Betfair promised the world, and to be honest has not delivered, Tote Tasmania, was poorly managed and now has been sold to Tatts, and the state government is in a mesh, with no leadership and struggling to make money.
With the sale of Tote, this will mean more hard ship is still to come in the apple isle, as Tasmanian harness racing will no longer belong to Super Tab, and pools will reduce, and we could even see Tasmanian racing taken off Sky as well.
The industry needs to get proactive, and directors need to be accountable for their action, and not be allowed to walk away when the industry goes belly up, there needs a complete over haul of who is running the industry in Tasmania and a new leadership group put together with direction.
Tasmania harness racing fans need to have a group one race, to help show case their industry, not a race where an over price claimer could win, they need top grand circuit horse racing to get the fans back to the track.
Trainers of the top line horse have already  looked away from Tasmania, as the stakes level is getting very poor, and you can not blame then from staying away, when there can race in their home state for a country cup that is worth just as much as the Tasmanian Cup, and not have to travel across the water to Tassie