Effective as of 1 September 2016
GRADE B DRIVERS COMPETING AT TABCORP PARK FRIDAY / SATURDAY NIGHT HARNESS MEETINGS
Friday and Saturday night meetings at Tabcorp Park Melton are generally regarded as HRV’s premier race meeting of the week where the industry promotes the best horses competing at our premier racing venue. Traditionally, Friday and Saturday night meetings have been regarded as a Metropolitan meeting and only Grade A drivers were eligible to compete.
With virtually all these Metropolitan meetings now having at least one Country or Career Penalty (CP) race on the program, a Permit system has been re-introduced in order to enable a Grade B Driver to contest Career Penalty races programmed on a Friday or Saturday night within a Metropolitan meeting.
Grade B Drivers will remain ineligible to contest any Metropolitan Penalty (MP) race throughout Victoria. In order to drive in a semi-final of a futurity race such as the Vicbred or Breeders Crown Series where the races are of $20,000 or more (and the winner only receives a Career Penalty or Age Penalty), a driver would also be required to hold a Grade A drivers licence.
If a Grade B Driver intends to apply for a permit to drive in a Career Penalty race on a Friday or Saturday night at Tabcorp Park Melton, the driver must have held a Grade B licence for a minimum of nine (9) months and have competed in at least sixty (60) TAB class country drives at licensed meetings and driven a minimum of three (3) winning race drives. A driver would also need to be driving on a regular basis at TAB meetings to be considered for a permit and their driving record would be taken into consideration. The decision to issue any permit would be solely at the discretion of the Stewards and that once a permit is granted, it shall apply for a specified period and may be reviewed by HRV Stewards at any time.
Effective 1 September 2016, at Metropolitan meetings where a Career Penalty race is programmed, a Grade B driver may be eligible to contest the Career Penalty event at the discretion of the Stewards. A driver is required to obtain a permit by contacting the Stewards department of Harness Racing Victoria prior to driver declaration time of such meeting.
