Bangless bucks
This year’s Blue Diamond Stakes day attracted less than 10,000 racegoers to the track as part of the Melbourne Festival of Racing (MFR), which is heavily promoted. One wonders if there is a bang for the buck. With no competition from AFL on the day and lovely weather there is no real reason why people wouldn’t go.
Compare that with Warrnambool’s May race carnival over three days midweek at the start of winter, which attracts a large and growing crowd.
People are voting with their feet and gate payments to attend this "unpopular" form of racing, with the carnival revolving around its famous Grand Annual Steeplechase.
Perhaps if one-10th of the budget and effort put into the MFR promotion were devoted to the Warrnambool May Carnival, then that buck might produce some bang.
Greensborough (Vic)