Racing NSW chief Peter V'landys believes "people power" will help his sport meet challenges such as animal welfare, and he expects Newcastle's The Hunter race meeting to lead the way.
Mr V'landys was the guest speaker at The Hunter Luncheon, a charity fund-raiser for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, on Friday at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Newcastle Racecourse will host a standalone metropolitan-level meeting on Saturday featuring the inaugural $1 million The Hunter - the richest provincial race ever held. Kembla Grange will hold its own version, headlined by the $1 million The Gong, next Saturday.
The events are part of several rich races Racing NSW has introduced in recent years under Mr V'landys.
"We always had a vision to have major races throughout NSW and it shouldn't just be in the metropolitan area," Mr V'Landys said.
"We want to promote racing everywhere and the best way to do it is to have people power. Racing will have a lot of challenges in the years to come from animal welfare etc, and the best way to beat that is with the people.
"Newcastle is the second-biggest city in NSW, Wollongong the third biggest city, so we took it upon ourselves to introduce racing carnivals throughout NSW to ensure that people see firsthand how good racing is."
The thoroughbred industry has been under the microscope since an ABC report last month into the slaughter of retired racehorses.
Racing NSW this week responded with a 21-page letter to the ABC complaining about the story. Mr V'landys said on Friday it was "one of the most biased pieces of journalism I've seen" and how the industry was portrayed was "disgusting, very bias and completely false".
He said animal welfare remained the biggest challenge for the industry, but he highlighted the many properties Racing NSW has bought, and the programs launched, to care for ex-racehorses.
"We've got to make sure we educate people out there of the rubbish that's been portrayed by some sections," he said. "Thoroughbred people look after their horse better than any pet there is, but we have to do more in rehoming the horses and Racing NSW has done that for the past six or seven years."
V'landys thanked the Newcastle Jockey Club for its work in preparing for The Hunter meeting.
"I just hope it's a successful day for them because they've put a lot of effort in and they should be rewarded," he said. "Tomorrow is the first one, but let's look back in five years, because I think this will be one of the big events in this city for many years."
The NJC and Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service will join forces to raise funds for the NSW Rural Fire Service at Saturday's meeting.
