Ten-race cards will return to Saturday metropolitan meetings in Victoria in the 2024-25 season – but for a reduced period of eight months.
Racing Victoria (RV) today announced the new schedule, which would begin with the Group 1 Memsie Stakes meeting on August 31 and end with the meeting at Caulfield on April 26, 2025.
During a 10-month trial between August 2023 and May 2024, in which an additional 34 Saturday metropolitan races were run, Racing Victoria said 10-race cards generated gross wagering revenue of $5 million, with an additional $2.8 million in prizemoney returned to participants and owners.
RV Executive General Manager – Racing, Matt Welsh, said the 10-race cards would be programmed during periods when the days were longer.
“We believe this is a balanced outcome that maximises returns to the industry, whilst managing workloads on tracks and remaining forever conscious of participant welfare,” Welsh said.
“Saturday metropolitan meetings represent 10 per cent of our product but deliver 40 per cent of our wagering turnover. It is the peak timeslot for punters to engage and WSPs have reinforced that post-trial.
“The 10th race has provided more racing when our customers most want to watch and, as a result, it has delivered additional revenue to help fund the industry.
“The 10th race has also provided more owners, trainers and jockeys the chance to compete on racing’s biggest day of the week and share in the spoils. To see 27 different trainers and 28 jockeys win the 34 additional Saturday metropolitan races is fantastic for Victorian racing and its diversity.”
Racing Victoria’s Executive General Manager – Racing, Matt Welsh.
Welsh said RV was conscious of minimising the length of race days, with the majority extended by only 15 minutes.
“We will remain focused on minimising the length of the raceday wherever possible. It is our objective to not start any programmed 10-race cards prior to 12 noon next season and we’ll be working with relevant parties to achieve that.
“I want to thank our clubs and stakeholders for their insights into the current trial. They provided valuable feedback around track performance and their raceday experiences that have helped shape a balanced approach for the 2024-25 season.
“We will continue to liaise closely with them throughout the coming season and critically analyse the return on investment for the industry through the wagering outcomes, whilst monitoring track performance and field sizes.”
The 10th race will again carry prizemoney of $80,000. At the request of the VRC, the two Saturdays of the Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington – Derby Day and Champions Day – will remain nine-race meetings. Further, AFL Grand Final Day at Sandown will again feature eight races.