October
JulyFun police on course
Max Presnall wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald recently on the decline in support for Sydney racing, especially during the winter months. I thought I’d contribute to the discussion with my recent experience at Rosehill Gardens.
A group of friends decided that a day at the races was the best place to celebrate two key events — my 30th birthday and my upcoming wedding. As the guest of honour, I was provided with a jockey costume for the day.
After chartering a maxi-taxi to get us to Rosehill (transport options are not that great, as many would attest), we arrived at the gates to the track. Not one of the 15 of us had touched a drink prior to track entry. The security at the gate allowed the costume as "fancy dress", and deemed it "non-offensive" (his words, not mine — what jockey costume could be offensive?).
Walking up to the main public areas, our group engaged in some banter with some members, concerning the costume and the fact that they thought I needed some more time in the sauna. After cloak-checking my change of clothes (just in case), I was approached by two other security staff, who told me if I wasn’t doing promotional work, I would need to change. When I mentioned that the security at the gate had allowed the costume, I was told that my group’s behaviour was observed to be disruptive after entering the track, with the potential to instigate trouble and invite physical altercations.
I changed out of my costume, and the group shared an uneventful day, with a few beers, a few collects, and no trouble. Of the group, about half of us are regular racegoers, although this may now be up for review. Two of the group had never been to the track before, and won’t be rushing back. The unfortunate thing is, those two are businessmen responsible for a substantial client entertainment budget that the turf clubs should be trying to attract — not scare away.
The "fun police" have been accused over the past few years of destroying a day at the cricket. From our experience, it seems the turf clubs are the new target. If the ATC can’t keep those that regularly go to the races and wish to celebrate special events there, how on earth do they expect to attract a new, younger audience?
What would be the harm, on a pretty average winter Saturday, in having a "Fancy Dress Race Day", creating a carnival atmosphere, and bringing some fun back on to the track?
The betting ring is a place for all punters, where everyone is given the same opportunity to have a punt and a win. In Sydney, however, it seems that a punt and a win is only available to those in a collared shirt and nice shoes.
Sydney often looks at the success of the Melbourne racing clubs and tries to figure out why Melbourne just makes racing work. They look at prizemoney, field restrictions, nomination procedures, scheduling. Why don’t they look at the average punter?
The upcoming Melbourne spring carnival will be full of everyday people dressed as Arab sheikhs, horses, jockeys, the Queen, and just about any other character imaginable. These elements of the crowd give racing its carnival atmosphere. In Sydney, these elements are turned away at the gate by executive order. Until Sydney clubs realise that racing depends on creating a place where people want to go, it’s back to the local pubTAB for me.
Bondi Junction (NSW)