October
AugustMove the Mackinnon
The recent P.B. Lawrence Stakes meeting at Caulfield was an excellent one, with the majority of races being very significant and interesting from a spring racing viewpoint,
To me, some of these late winter and early spring meetings are just as good as some of the high-profile meetings deep into the spring.
I believe that VRC Oaks day needs a boost, especially now that the weight-for-age sprint has been moved to the last day of the carnival. A 2500-metre Oaks for early three-year-old fillies is usually a pretty dull affair. The VRC Oaks is the richest Oaks in Australia, but it is not the best one.
I think that the Mackinnon Stakes could easily be moved to the Oaks day program. Last year, its stake money was increased to $1 million. It seems an inflated amount for a race that always has a dubious look about it, with some of its participants seemingly having a final training gallop before the Melbourne Cup. It is also run too close to the Cox Plate.
If transferred to Oaks day, it would almost certainly attract more runners from the Cox Plate field, and would lose the suspicion of non-triers contesting it.
Oaks day needs a boost and the Mackinnon Stakes would bring that.
Frankston South (Vic)