Racing Victoria March Meeting Outcomes Revealed

The March edition of the Racing Victoria Board Meeting has seen a focus on the proposed expansion of night racing at Cranbourne Racecourse later in the year.

Racing Victoria Chief Executive, Rob Hines, is hoping to minimise any problems that may arise from the introduction of more night races.

“To accommodate the new night meetings it will be necessary to make some significant changes to the racing program,” Hines said.

This will mean changes must occur for both the summer and winter country racing program.

The Board showed early support for the night racing plan, but were forced to defer their final decision until a second meeting on Wednesday 23, 2011.

“Some concerns have been raised by the Victorian Jockeys Association and some trainers and we want to ensure that these can be overcome before we proceed,” Mr Hines said.

The March meeting also covered the proposed change in distance of the Bendigo Cup during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

The Racing Victoria Board chose approve an increase in distance of the Listed Bendigo Cup to 2,400 metres from its current distance of 2,200 metres.

This change will allow the Bendigo Cup to be a qualifying lead-up race to the coveted Emirates Melbounre Cup held soon after.

The Board also discussed plans to introduce a second synthetic racing track to Victoria.

Racetracks that are currently being considered for the synthetic track are Pakenham, Flemington and Caulfield.

About The Author

Lucy Henderson

Lucy is an experienced horse racing journalist that has been a crucial member of the horseracing.com.au team for the better part of a decade. She has taken great delight in covering champion mares Black Caviar and Winx throughout their careers and always has a soft spot for a winning filly.