Under the plan announced by Harness Racing Victoria on Monday morning, from Thursday, racing will be conducted in six defined regions across the state, and be restricted to participants from those areas.

Trainers and drivers from the central region, which includes the trotting centres of Bendigo, Maryborough, Charlton and Heathcote, will compete exclusively at Bendigo.

The remainder of the state has been divided into inner west (Melton and Ballarat), east (Kilmore and Cranbourne), north-east (Shepparton), north-west (Mildura) and west (Terang and Stawell).

HRV chief executive officer Dayle Brown said the new model provided Victoria with 'the best opportunity' to continue racing.

"This model allows us to keep essential personnel and participants at race meetings," he said.

"The support we have received through regular and thorough consultation with our industry representative bodies during this challenging period has been really important and I thank them for that."

The plan won immediate backing from Bendigo region trainers, who praised HRV's decisive action and ongoing commitment to the health and welfare of participants.

Shelbourne trainer Kate Hargreaves said the move to a regional model was a 'much needed step to keep racing going'.

"I'm fully supportive of anything HRV does to keep us racing," she said.

"They have been really quick to act throughout and have put really strict procedures and protocols in for us to follow.

"They're doing a mammoth effort to keep us racing, so I am really grateful to them."

Hargreaves, who leads all Bendigo region trainers on the Victorian trainers' premiership table this season with 33 winners from 116 starters, said participants remained keen to make the most out of a less than ideal situation.

"We're pretty relaxed out here, but obviously Alex (Ashwood) and I are a little bit worried," she said.

"But it's business as usual, we are working the team as if we were going to keep racing.

"I guess not having to travel is a positive too, we'll save on petrol and travel costs, so there are definitely some silver linings.

"I think our region as well, we are not full of the strongest trainers, so that works to our advantage too."

HRV has released an initial two-week schedule of racing and is continuing to work on future programming.

Multi premiership-winning trainer Glenn Douglas believed there would be widespread support for all measures aimed at safeguarding the sport.

"I don't think there would be many in the industry who aren't for (the new plan)," said Douglas, who is based at Strathfeldsaye.

"It keeps us racing and it gives us a chance .... we know the volatility of it, that at any stage we can be shut down.

"To be able to isolate areas further enhances the safeguards that have been put in place.

"As participants we can be critical at times of the powers that be, but I don't think we could be critical with anything they've done during this crisis.

"They have been proactive and they've had a crack.

"When you sit back and look at it, you know they have the participants and their interests at heart."

Meanwhile, Bendigo reinsman Jayden Brewin expressed concerns about the effects region-based racing would have on freelance operators such as himself.

"From a driving point of view it's going to be pretty hard, given I am relying on this for an income," he said.

"I don't work outside of horses, so popping into the car and driving to different tracks every day is my way of making money.

"If I can do that only once a week, it's going to make things pretty hard.

"At the same time I am trying to put money away to purchase a house down the track; I'm going to be having to touch that money to live."

On the upside, Brewin believed the new system would open up opportunities closer to home for some drivers.

"There's probably not too many drivers around this Bendigo region, who do this professionally - maybe 10 or 12 drivers - so you are probably going to get a few more drives (locally) than you normally would," he said.

"The people who train and drive one or two (horses) are going to get a few more opportunities too. They will be over the moon."

Bendigo has three meetings scheduled in the next fortnight, starting on Tuesday night.

The calendar for the next two weeks of racing is as follows:

Tuesday, March 31: Bendigo (night).

Wednesday, April 1: Stawell (day), Shepparton (night).

Thursday, April 2: Ballarat (day), Mildura (night).

Friday, April 3: Kilmore (day), Bendigo (night).

Saturday, April 4: Melton (night).

Sunday, April 5: Cranbourne (twilight).

Monday, April 6: Shepparton (day).

Tuesday, April 7: Terang (night).

Wednesday, April 8: Kilmore (day), Mildura (night).

Thursday, April 9: Melton (day), Bendigo (day).

Saturday, April 11: Melton (night).

Sunday, April 12: Shepparton (night).

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