THE biggest event on the Border next Melbourne Cup day will be the race for crowds, horses and jockeys.
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In a move that has angered Corowa Race Club, both Albury and Wodonga yesterday won individual bids to stage meetings for the first time on Melbourne Cup day.
The new races will be held in addition to existing meetings at Corowa, Wangaratta and Wagga.
The decision by Racing NSW to pencil Albury in on the Melbourne Cup day calendar has left Corowa Race Club vice president Gary Poidevin fuming.
“I think it absolutely stinks that Albury can get their own way in dictating race meetings,” he said.
“By them holding a meeting, it will strip Corowa of a lot of the prestige and opportunities that we’ve built up over the past 40 years.
“I know that the Corowa people and people from the district won’t be happy with Albury Racing Club for applying for this meeting.”
Albury Racing Club chief executive John Miller said the club had been trying for “some time” to hold a Melbourne Cup day meeting.
He said the city had the facilities and population to support its own event.
“The biggest challenge is obviously going to be the participant side of things as opposed to spectators, and really until we give it a go, we’re not going to know what the impact is,” Mr Miller said.
“It’s not necessarily about having the biggest and the best fields, but putting on some form of race product for people interested in Melbourne Cup day.”
Mr Miller said Albury Racing Club would continue to hold a race meeting on Oaks Day as well.
Racing NSW general manager of industry Scott Kennedy said Albury was seen as a significant enough centre to make the
Melbourne Cup day event a success.
“The day is very much about people going to the races and enjoying the celebrations,” he said.
“Melbourne Cup day and the celebratory aspect of it has escalated in recent years so that both clubs (Corowa and Albury) can make a strong success of the day for themselves.”
But Mr Poidevin feared established meetings would suffer as a result of having five race events on the same day.
“The region is not going to be able to support it,” he said.
“We haven’t got that many jockeys.”
Mr Poidevin said the Albury Racing Club had offered to pay Corowa $20,000 a year to “steal” its Melbourne Cup event for the next three years.
The offered was rejected, with Corowa making $50,000 a year from the event.
That lead Albury to apply to Racing NSW to hold its own meeting.
Wodonga and District Turf Club president Terry Doolan shared Mr Poidevin’s concerns about a lack of resources in the region.
Wangaratta Turf Club manager Malcolm Hart was unconcerned about the impact on crowd numbers, but said even racing infrastructure would be stretched.
