Good Friday and Christmas day have long been the two race-free days on the Australian calendar, at least that was the case up until just last year when Western Australia decided to break the trend and stage an 8-race-card at Ascot on Good Friday.
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Officials were stunned when more than 8,000 punters rolled through the gates at Ascot’s Good Friday meeting last year and they’re set for another bumper crowd today with the racing club opening the gates with free entry and a host of entertainment and activities to attract families to the races.
The day was deemed such a great success that MRC Chairman Mike Symons congratulated Perth Racing last year. It also undoubtedly caught the eye of many racing clubs across the country.
It’s understood that a number of racing clubs, including Moonee Valley, have expressed an interest in hosting a meeting on Good Friday should Racing Victoria open the day to racing in future.
Other sporting codes including the AFL, NRL and A-League have all had success hosting fixtures on Good Friday.
