Racing Victoria has officially confirmed that Saturday’s new 10-race cards will only extend the race day by 20 minutes. Last month, Racing Victoria had announced its plans to trial an extension to the Saturday metropolitan race day, expanding the meetings from nine to 10 races during the 2023/24 racing season. After collaborating with broadcasters and other Principal Racing Authorities (PRAs), Racing Victoria has now unveiled its comprehensive plan for the extended race days.
During the trial period, the earliest start time for a Saturday metropolitan meeting in August will be 11:50 am, and Racing Victoria has no intentions of initiating race days any earlier throughout the eight-month trial period. While the earlier start time will affect race arrivals, horses participating in the first two races will now be required to be on the course only 90 minutes prior to the race time, while horses in races three onwards will still have to arrive two hours before the race begins.
As part of the trial, the conditions for the 10th race will be determined periodically and will consist of a mix of Aspirant and Challenger races, rating races, and finals from country series. Aspirant races will be designated for trainers licensed in Victoria who had less than 50 metropolitan starters (all states) or fewer than five metropolitan winners (all states) during the previous racing season (2022-23). On the other hand, Challenger races will be open to trainers licensed in Victoria who had 15 or fewer metropolitan winners (all states) in the same season.
For both types of races, the participating horses must have been trained by an eligible Victorian trainer since June 1, 2023. The first of the 10-race meetings is scheduled to be held at Flemington on August 5, featuring a 1200-meter Benchmark 70 Aspirant race. The day’s racing will kick off at 11:50 am, with the last race expected to begin at 5:50 pm.
Matt Welsh, Racing Victoria’s GM – Racing, expressed gratitude to all involved parties for their collaborative efforts in developing the timetable for the extended race days. The decision to introduce the 10th race was driven by a desire to continue offering exceptional prize money to Victorian participants while also taking into account the preferences of racing fans for shorter, more engaging forms of entertainment.
Racing Victoria remains committed to striking a balance between meeting participants’ needs and the expectations of fans. As the trial progresses, the organisation will continue to assess and optimise race times, as well as review wagering, field sizes, programming, and track performance to gather valuable insights and adapt as necessary. Racing Victoria extends its appreciation to race clubs, participants, key stakeholders, and race-day officials for their cooperation and support in the 10th-race trial, as they collectively work towards growing the sport and maximising returns to the racing industry.
