Racing Victoria (RV) has announced a revamped racing calendar with several changes and initiatives. One of the significant changes is the introduction of two Good Friday meetings, which will be hosted by Yarra Valley and Cranbourne. This marks the third year of racing operations on Good Friday.
The Pakenham Cup, previously squeezed out of the Spring schedule, will now be held on Thursday night in the Autumn. This move aims to capitalize on the success of Thursday night racing at Sportsbet-Pakenham and further enhance its growth.
The Thousand Guineas at Caulfield has been shifted to mid-November, while the Cranbourne Cup has been pushed back by one week to November 25. The new calendar proposes additional races and prize money boosts for the Cranbourne Cup day, although specific details are yet to be finalized.
The Geelong Racing Club will host a standalone metropolitan Saturday meeting on January 6, aiming to attract tourists who visit the region during their holidays. The VRC’s Rapid Racing event will be moved from January to December 20, providing an opportunity for fan engagement in the lead-up to Christmas.
The calendar includes a total of 555 meetings, including 113 metropolitan, 391 country TAB, 18 country non-TAB, and 33 picnic race meetings. There will be 14 non-race days throughout the season, and only one Sunday metro meeting is scheduled. Caulfield is set to have Thursday twilight racing in December.
RV’s general manager of racing, Matthew Welsh, mentioned that further programming changes may be made in response to declining sports wagering. The Racing Operations team aims to maximize audience, wagering turnover, and returns to participants.
The decision to move the Pakenham Cup to Thursday nights allows the club to utilize lead-up meetings to promote a Grand Final meeting at the late-February prior to the commencement of the AFL season. Thursday nights are considered a premium timeslot, and the move aims to provide a compelling offering to fans and punters, especially during the summer period.
