An Australian stable still remains on the radar for New Zealand juggernaut Te Akau Racing, but it is in no rush to set up roots just yet.
Te Akau Racing revealed earlier this year that it was looking to take a dozen boxes at Flemington, using the stable to launch raids across Australia.
Te Akau principal David Ellis confirmed to Racing.com that Te Akau Racing still had strong interest in having an Australian stable, but said changes to racing in his homeland would leave it in a strong position in the next few years.
“We haven’t done anything about finalising anything until we can travel,” Ellis said.
“We definitely want to have a base in Australia. But it’s something we are going to do in our time.
“In the meantime, there has been a lot of very good things that have happened in New Zealand racing. There’s now no duty on each bet and that will give the industry another NZ$12m next year.
“We’ve got race fields legislation that will give the industry another NZ$15-20m a year. The TAB have cut a lot of costs.
“I can see stakes going up in the next 12 to 18 months. There’s a lot of good news happening in New Zealand and when you combine that with turnover at record levels each week, it is exciting.”
