October
JuneDon't forget the west
Racing Victoria doesn’t seem to value Victoria’s western district on evidence of its recent programming.
This Sunday’s Casterton meeting will be the fifth consecutive western district meeting with “P2” status on a Sunday, meaning less prizemoney and no all-important lead-in coverage on Racing.com. (Surely the difference in television coverage between P1 and P2 meetings shouldn’t be as distorted as it is now.)
This is unacceptable treatment of an area that has a large horse population and several high-profile stables.
A glance ahead at next season’s calendar shows 45 meetings in the district. Aside from the three-day Warrnambool carnival in May, there are just eight meetings that’ll carry country showcase prizemoney — $23,000 minimums and $30,000 for races at or above benchmark 70 level.
Compare that with the truckload of night meetings that’ll be held for more money and get better coverage at Cranbourne and Pakenham in the coming 12 months. A bit of equality wouldn’t go astray.
Colac (Vic)