From next season, up to 20 owners will be permitted per horse, up from the previous maximum of 10.

The change is the result of a request by the Australian Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners Council (ATROC), which argued that increasing the cap would boost interest in racehorse ownership.

The ARB said it was keen to do everything possible to increase participation in racehorse ownership.

The rule amendment will come into effect from the start of the new racing season on August 1.

The Australian Turf Club (ATC) and the NSW Government on Thursday unveiled plans for the four-star hotel complex which will be built at the Alison Road end of the track, near the members’ stand at Sydney’s oldest racecourse.

Guests staying at the 170-room, five-floor Adina hotel will have front row balcony views as horses cross the winning post, while up to 3000 members will be able to enjoy the terrace bars and restaurants on race days.

ATC chairman John Cornish said he was “over the moon” about the project.

“You only have to look out that window and down the famous Randwick straight to see just what a great view it will be,” Cornish said.

Under the agreement with Adina, the ATC will manage a large area external to the hotel that will host racegoers “in comfort” and extend raceday festivities beyond normal hours.

The hotel facade will feature an abstract mural depicting horses to ensure it “stands out like a beacon”, Cornish said.

Located on the opposite side of the track to the trainers’ stabling complexes, trackwork will not be affected by the hotel’s activities.

NSW Racing Minister George Souris said the project would elevate Australia’s racing industry and set it among the world’s finest.

“It may well become the pre-eminent example around the world of this new, exciting concept of a hotel literally being part of a racecourse,” Souris said.

He could not confirm the pricetag for the enormous project, but club chief executive Darren Pearce said it would be funded entirely by the ATC.

“This is government land and we received the government’s permission to do this because of the economic and social benefits it will generate,” Pearce said.

He added the project was not part of the current $150 million upgrade to Randwick’s grandstand and stable facilities, which started last November.

Leading Randwick trainer Gai Waterhouse said the idea of having a hotel at the racecourse was brilliant.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Waterhouse said.

“It brings people to the racecourse and they might end up spending their money there.”

Construction of the hotel is expected to start later this year with its completion scheduled for the end of 2014.

The families of injured jockey Kristy Banks and late trainer Pat Quinn will share the $115,000 raised above the $175,000 target.

The event was staged in Sydney on Tuesday night to raise money to help O’Shea’s family following a recent Court Of Appeal ruling against him which ordered him to pay a former client around $500,000 for not disclosing the extent of a horse’s problems at the time of purchase.

The target amount was the shortfall between the coverage O’Shea received under the old insurance policy and the coverage he would have received under the current policy.

“This was never an exercise in trying to solve all John’s problems, we merely wanted to fill the insurance gap he fell through,” NSW Trainers’ Association chief executive Steve McMahon said.

“John didn’t want any publicity about the decision to support the Banks and Quinn families with the excess funds raised however it is important for the racing industry at large to know that the outstanding support witnessed at last night’s function has benefited these most worthy causes.”

More than 150 people attended the night, which was jointly staged by bloodstock company Inglis and the NSW Trainers’ Association.

Popular trainer Quinn suffered a heart attack and died after he was pinned against a rail by a horse in the pre-race stalls at Canterbury in August 2009.

Banks was badly hurt in a race fall at Toowoomba on New Year’s Eve and is unlikely to walk again. She will need ongoing rehabilitation and care.

Dixon’s decision is expected to ultimately lead to him taking up the vacant role as chairman of Queensland’s governing race body from May 1.

BRC board member Bill Sexton, a director of the former Queensland Turf Club which merged with the Brisbane Turf Club, has replaced Dixon as the club’s interim chairman.

The development follows the resignations of RQL chairman Bob Bentley and board members Bill Ludwig and Tony Hamner on Tuesday.

Sexton has been a member of the BRC board since its inception in 2009 when the two Brisbane clubs merged.

Dixon said he planned to meet with RQL staff on Wednesday to assure them their jobs were safe in the wake of the mass resignations at racing’s Deagon headquarters since last month’s election of the LNP government.

Four senior executives – Malcolm Tuttle, Jamie Orchard, Paul Brennan and Shara Reid – resigned recently and reportedly received payouts totalling $1.7 million.

It is understood Dixon’s first tasks as RQL chairman will be to implement the LNP country racing policy, restructure and move the Integrity services department to government and undertake a full analysis of the financial situation and commitments of RQL.

Bentley was committed to scaling back country racing and was highly criticised in regional areas for reducing the number of country race dates.

Dixon has been under pressure for some time to take over RQL and is looking forward to the challenge.

“I’ve always said I’d assist the LNP in whatever way I could,” Dixon said.

“I’m excited to be involved to implement the LNP policy to revitalise racing right throughout the State.

RQL chairman Bob Bentley said his board was due to meet on Tuesday to discuss the new Queensland government’s racing policy.

However, Bentley refused to speculate on his own future while RQL was still in discussions with the newly-elected Liberal National Party (LNP) government.

“The LNP policy is to change the structure of Racing Queensland,” Bentley said.

“The board is meeting today and it’s our aim to put forward a transitional plan to the government this week.

“The most sensible way through all this is to work out a transitional plan so they (the government) can achieve what they want.

“We’re happy to negotiate with the government.”

The LNP government sent in auditors immediately following last month’s election victory to inspect Racing Queensland’s books.

The chief executive of the government’s racing department has also been ordered to investigate whether RQL is a “fit and proper” control body.

New Racing Minister Steve Dickson is currently working on setting up a Ministerial Advisory Council with plans to draw up legislation for a return to separate control bodies for the three racing codes which were brought under one umbrella by the RQL board.

Bentley also refused to comment on the controversial payout figures to four key RQL executives who resigned only days after the state election.

Chief Executive Malcolm Tuttle, director of Integrity Operations Jamie Orchard, Product Development manager Paul Brennan and corporate counsel Shara Reid are reported to have received payouts figures totalling $1.7 million.

“I’ve got no comment on the resignations,” Bentley said.

“I’m comfortable with the decision the board made.”

Darren Pearce, chief executive of the ATC, said the merger of the Sydney race clubs had made sponsorship a more attractive option for businesses.

“Since the merger we have been able to offer our partners the opportunity to be involved with all four of our racecourses across Sydney,” Pearce said.

Among the brands under the Moet Hennessy banner are Moet & Chandon, which will become the official champagne of the ATC, Dom Perignon and Cloudy Bay.

De Bortoli Wines will also continue its partnership with racing, signing a deal with the ATC which will involve supplying its products to all four tracks.

Thursday’s sponsorship announcements come just over a week after the ATC unveiled Tooheys New as the naming rights sponsor to the Golden Slipper for the next three years, starting in 2013.

Its parent company Lion joins Moet Hennessy as one of the ATC’s foundation partners.

The ATC’s Sydney carnival of racing continues at Randwick on Saturday with three Group One races including the Australian Derby.

The decision comes on the heels of the High Court verdict last month which ruled wagering operators Betfair and Sportsbet must pay a 1.5 per cent fee on turnover to Racing NSW to use race field information.

Racing Victoria stated on Wednesday that it would be implementing the Racing NSW model under which wagering providers paid 1.5 per cent of their turnover to publish race fields information.

The Victorians will bump that up to two percent during October and November, the height of its spring carnival.

The Manikato moves from the club’s AFL grand final eve meeting in late September to headline the program on the Friday night before the Cox Plate.

The two-day racing festival, positioned at the heart of the spring racing carnival, is designed to attract the world’s best middle distance and sprinting thoroughbreds.

A total of 17 races, including nine stakes events, will be programmed across the Cox Plate Carnival with prizemoney in excess of $6 million making it one of the richest two-day carnivals in the world.

Moonee Valley believes the relocation of the Manikato ideally places it 15 days before the Group One Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington, allowing the club to attract leading international sprinters from Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, the US and Europe.

Prizemoney for the Manikato Stakes will be boosted from $500,000 to $750,000 while all races will carry minimum prizemoney of $100,000.

The Cox Plate eve meeting will comprise eight races including the Group Two weight-for-age Crystal Mile (1600m) and the Listed Crockett Stakes (1200m) for three-year-old fillies.

Australia’s most prestigious weight-for-age race, the Cox Plate (2040m), will be run at Moonee Valley on October 27.

RV will submit the required programming changes to the Australian and Asian Pattern Committees for final ratification.

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Clerk of the course Graeme Salisbury will pick him up on Friday to begin preparing him for his new career.

The nine-year-old grey gelding, prepared by Luca Cumani, was retired from racing after finishing fourth to Ironstein in the Group Three Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington just days after narrowly missing out on a start in the 2011 Melbourne Cup.

Salisbury said he was picking up Bauer from part-owner Simon O’Donnell’s Kilmore property.

“I’ll swim him and prepare him for his new job,” Salisbury, whose property is near Heathcote, 110km north of Melbourne, said.

“Things like having horses led on both sides of him.

“Then I’ll take him to the races.”

Salisbury said it would take a month for Bauer to be ready to be a clerk of the course’s horse if there were no hitches with his behaviour.

The most high-profile clerk of the course’s horse Salisbury has had was 1992 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero, now 23, who was retired from racecourse duties in 2008.

However “Subby” still does appearances at schools and other events such as Friday’s 4tracks4kids charity walk.

The gelding won’t be doing the 44km walk leaving from Sandown at 3am (AEDT) and ending at the Flemington winning post at 12.15pm but will be part of the welcoming contingent along with former champion jockey Roy Higgins, the DOXA Youth Foundation Ambassador.

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The across-the-board increases to minimum prizemoney levels will take effect from August 1 with country minimums up from $12,000 to $15,000, showcase races up from $22,500 to $30,000 and non-TAB races up from $7,000 to $8,000.

Standard Saturday metropolitan meeting will include two races at a minimum of $100,000 and six races at a minimum of $80,000.

Midweek city races will rise from $30,000 to $35,000 as will standard Friday night races.

Minimum funding to clubs hosting Group and Listed races has also been increased by Racing Victoria (RV) for the 2012-13 season meaning 86 black type races will receive prizemoney boosts.

Over two-thirds of Victoria’s Listed races will increase from $100,000 to at least $120,000, while more than half of the state’s Group Three races will increase from $125,000 to at least $150,000.

At the elite level, the Underwood Stakes, Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and Toorak Handicap will all increase from $350,000 to at least $400,000 as part of RV’s minimum funding increase for Group One races.

RV chief executive Rob Hines made the announcement at Oaklands Junction prior to Monday’s start of the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.

“The funds for this increase come through the deal we’ve done with TABCORP, our joint venture partner, through the licensing process put in place by the the Victorian state government,” Hines said.

“The returns to the racing industry have improved significantly through the new deal and we are now equal share partners in the Victorian TAB and that’s what’s funding these increases.

Hines said RV had been working on the process for three years.

“The modelling around it is really significant,” Hines said.

“There are so many races in Victoria. Every day we are racing for different prizemoney and (we are) just trying to get the right balance to encourage participation at grass roots but still reward those horses that can race at the elite level.”

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