Take the blinkers off, VRC, Flemington can be racing’s MCG

FLEMINGTON has the scope to become second only to the MCG as Melbourne’s great every-other-day attraction, writes Matt Stewart.

Flemington needs to become racing’s MCG. Picture: George Salpigtidis

IT was very nice of the Victoria Racing Club to reveal that it’s 30,000 members will soon benefit from a $128 million grandstand.

The cynical, who wonder how they will benefit, might suggest the gala announcement should have instead been in emails sent exclusively to those members.

The benefit to non-members is that a spectacular new grandstand for only a few thousand upgrades a precinct — even if only aesthetically — that can take a step towards realising its full potential.

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The VRC’s sense of obligation to its members should not shroud its sense of responsibility to horse racing and to the millions who are not members who, admittedly, have benefited to general track refurbishments.

One day, maybe a VRC master plan will reveal something far more important than an exclusive grandstand with a rooftop garden.

Flemington has the scope to become second only to the MCG as Melbourne’s great every-other-day attraction.

A constant stream of locals and tourists wander through the MCG gates on days when the playing field is empty. The lure is the sheer wonder, the history, of the venue itself.

The internationalisation of the Melbourne Cup salvaged a race that was flagging in the 1980s on a racetrack that had begun to be taken for granted. The wave of raiders, and Makybe Diva fending them off, elevated Flemington.

Outsiders inspired by Michelle Payne can trace the story back to that famous patch of turf that runs alongside the roses and adjacent to the river.

Now that it has spent $118 million on its 30,000 members (the state government tipped in $10 million), the VRC must now remove the blinkers and survey the scene; understand its opportunity and obligation.

It must consider Flemington the essential and attractive shop window for Australian horse racing.

The racing museum must be removed from the National Sports Museum at the MCG.

It costs the industry a lot of money to have this token presence at a ridiculously irrelevant venue.

The VRC must spend its next wad of cash on building a magnificent new racing museum at Flemington. Don’t think you have the space? Find it.

It must have a constant presence of Living Legends horses on site.

Moments like Makybe Diva’s Melbourne Cup wins need to be celebrated at Flemington.

A condition of tenancy for local trainers is that tour groups, mainly school kids, would occasionally visit their stables the same day they give old Better Loosen Up or The Cleaner a pat and smile for a selfie.

The VRC must make use of the virtually abandoned riverside area. Build the museum there — maybe people could arrive by boat from Southbank — or redraw the track itself to accommodate a straight section alongside the river.

Do all of this, seek more government funding on the basis that it’s good for the town and tourism and not just for racing and you would have a stream of buses in the carpark, picnickers on the lovely lawns.

If the volume of travellers warranted it, Metro Trains would probably crank up non race-day services.

These ideas have been pitched at the VRC before and it has baulked. Others, including key administrators and others who recognise Flemington’s potential, reckon it’s a no-brainer.

Originally published as Take the blinkers off, VRC, Flemington can be racing’s MCG