VICTORIA: Crowds Booming At Country Meetings
Tuesday, 21 October 2008:  | | Scott Whiteman |
Kicking off with the Murtoa and Gunbower cup meetings on October 4, overall crowd figures are up 13% on last year.
Moe and Benalla attracted record attendances to their respective Cup Day meetings and many clubs are attracting numbers on-course not seen in recent years.
A record crowd of more than 9000 watched local jockey Jason Benbow win the Moe Cup aboard Reggie, which was up 11.6% on last year's previous record crowd.
At Benalla, more than 4000 people cheered Tasmanian galloper Rhumb Line home in a blanket finish to the Benalla Gold Cup; an increase of nearly 19% on last year.
At Gunbower, the non-TAB meeting was transferred from its January date to a more climate friendly spring date. The reward was a crowd of over 1500, which was up 21% on last year.
The annual meeting at Manangatang continues to be a success for the small Mallee community of 300 people, with revenue for the meeting conducted largely by volunteers up 15% and a crowd of over 3000 in attendance.
“Feature country race meetings are an integral part of the community, in particular at many of the small townships such as Manangatang and Avoca.
"All facets of the community, from hotels to school groups, benefit from the local race meeting being a success,” Country Racing Victoria chief executive Scott Whiteman said.
Locals have adopted Cranbourne as the Sunday racing venue. Only recently the committee switched the Cranbourne Cup from a Wednesday date to a Sunday with more than 7000 on course, an increase of 8% on last year.
Country clubs hosting race meetings on Caulfield Cup day have continued to enjoy steady growth with meetings at Avoca, Wodonga and Bendigo attracting more patrons than last year.
At Avoca 6000 people enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of the country racecourse, which is an 18% increase, while Bendigo and Wodonga crowds were up 12% and 6% respectively.
On Sunday over 4000 people attended the Seymour Cup, an increase of 5.5%.
“Country racing has established itself as an affordable, relaxing, fun day out with family, friends and colleagues,” Whiteman said.
“Clubs have worked hard to promote and conduct these race days, with people who attend continuing to spread the message about how great a day at the country races is and coming back with friends.
“Independent research has shown that 32% of racegoers who attend a country meeting hail from metropolitan Melbourne.
"It is fantastic to see that people are now broadening where they experience the fun and festivities of the Spring Racing Carnival.”
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