The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) will host Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday on Saturday 18 February 2017 – the finale of summer racing at Flemington.
Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday, featuring the $750,000 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m), will combine the excitement of world-class thoroughbred racing with a taste of Asian culture.
VRC Chief Executive Simon Love said Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday is designed to entice new audiences to Flemington as part of the Club’s Asian strategy and reinvigorate the current offering.
“Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday is part of the VRC’s increased focus on engaging with Melbourne’s diverse community.”
“We want to attract new racegoers and diversify the occasion for existing customers by offering a taste of our multicultural city through Asian experiences focused on racing, food and entertainment,” Mr Love said.
Off the track, Flemington’s acclaimed restaurants will feature the cooking of celebrated chef Victor Liong from popular Melbourne eatery Lee Ho Fook.
Liong’s modern twist on authentic Chinese cuisine also will be served in The Chairman’s Club, Panorama Restaurant, Terrace Restaurant and The Atrium.
“It’s exciting to be able to collaborate with the VRC on Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday. Racegoers can expect a day full of first class racing, entertainment and food, including my unique menu influenced by a fusion of flavours from across Asia,” Mr Liong said.
Racegoers can also enjoy an Asian street food experience on the famous Flemington front lawns with sweet sensations from LuxBite, handmade dim sum from Let’s Do Yum Cha, Filipino flavours from Hoy Pinoy and freshly made sushi and sashimi from YNJ.
Melbourne-based pastry chef Bernard Chu will be designing a special cake as part of the LuxBite dessert parlour for Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday. This special creation will be part of LuxBite’s delectable range of sweets that can be enjoyed by all racegoers as part of the street food experience on the front lawn.
High energy entertainment from Wadaiko Rindo Japanese drummers, roving Cai Shen, Geisha girls on stilts, Taekwondo artists and Magician Neo will keep all ages entertained, as well as TAB’s ‘We Love a Bet’ karaoke activation.
There will also be a range of children’s activities in the Kids’ Zone, including arts and craft, face painting, sporting games and pony rides.
Racing enthusiasts can look forward to what is Flemington’s first Group 1 raceday for the New Year, with the $750,000 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning named in honour of the incomparable Black Caviar. The Black Caviar Lightning marks the commencement of the 2017 Global Sprint Challenge, which will see the world’s best sprinters compete in a ten-race series, with US$1 million on offer to any horse that is able to win three of the ten races across three different countries.
The Black Caviar Lightning has attracted a large number of nominations, with 16 sprinters vying to win the first major Australian sprint race of 2017. Nominations include the 2016 Lexus Newmarket Handicap winner The Quarterback, 2016 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Flying Artie, and fellow Group 1 winners Flamberge and Terravista. Chasing Group 1 success for the first time will be speedy mares Heatherly and Sheidel, as well as Spieth, Fell Swoop, and Star Turn, who came so close to a Group 1 victory over the 2016 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Ten former racetrack stars from Australia and Hong Kong will form the Parade of Champions prior to the running of the Black Caviar Lightning. The parade will include past heroes of Hong Kong racing in Silent Witness, Bullish Luck and Good Ba Ba, as well as Emirates Melbourne Cup champions Might and Power and Efficient, and the people’s favourite Apache Cat.
The VRC will also celebrate a shared passion for horse racing with strategic alliance race clubs across the world, including the Japan Racing Association, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Ascot Racecourse and Singapore Turf Club. Each club will be recognised with a race named after their respective clubs on Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday.
“With an industry trend of declining attendances and increased competition for the discretionary dollar, the VRC recognises the need for customer engagement initiatives domestically and internationally hinged upon customer experience, collaboration and innovation that will reinvigorate current attendees and entice new audiences,” Mr Love said.
“These initiatives, including Black Caviar, The Great Horse Raceday, form part of a broader long-term customer engagement and international strategy which has seen the VRC invest significant funds into facilities, technology, innovative food offerings, entertainment, the racing program and a significant out of state program.”
Tickets, including hospitality packages, can be purchased from www.flemington.com.au.
Children under 16 and accompanied by an adult are admitted free to Flemington all year round.
