Two Flemington racetracks plan: VRC chair Amanda Elliott reveals ambitious proposal
EXCLUSIVE: A BOLD plan for a second racetrack at Flemington has been unveiled by Victoria Racing Club chair Amanda Elliott.
SuperRacing
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperRacing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A BOLD plan for a second racetrack at Flemington has been unveiled by Victoria Racing Club chair Amanda Elliott.
Building a second track would allow the VRC to host almost double the amount of race days it does now.
“Let’s have a big blue-sky approach to everything, put in another course proper inside the existing one so we could run 40 race meetings instead of 24,” Ms Elliott has told the Herald Sun.
“Twenty-four is about all a true track can take in our climate. If we had two tracks, we could have more race meetings.
“Imagine that — we could have all these beautiful facilities used more, we could do night-time events as well.”
UNFLAPPABLE WINX TAKES IT ALL IN HER STRIDE AS MEDIA CIRCUS CLOSES IN
WALLER’S FLYING MACHINE WINX READY FOR TAKEOFF IN TURNBULL STAKES
A second track could predominantly be used to try to break into the lucrative night meeting schedule. But for the vision to be realised, stables would need to be moved off the site.
Nine months into her two- year tenure leading the world-famous racing club, Ms Elliott said she had discussed the move with trainers to potentially relocate to the Greenvale site of Living Legends, where retired champion racehorses live out their days. “We’ve talked about it with the industry, but it’s time to have two tracks here, to have the centre for community use, to have the trainers in wonderful facilities, where international and interstate trainers can fly into Melbourne and be at their boxes in 10 minutes.
“The industry needs to buy the land out there to relocate the trainers out near Living Legends,” she said.
It is understood the VRC is looking at racecourses with a second track, such as Sandown, and Morphettville in Adelaide.
Ms Elliott added: “I’ve talked to all the trainers. They’d love it if they had the option of day paddocks as well as boxes so they didn’t have to agist horses that prefer to be in a paddock than in a box, that goes to horse welfare as well.”
The club is also looking to America and Japan, which have both dirt and grass tracks, as it firms the idea.
In March Ms Elliott revealed plans to open Flemington up to the community on non-racedays with public parks and sporting ovals in the centre of the track.
The completion of the new $128 million world-class members’ stand by the time of the 2018 Melbourne Cup Carnival will start the evolution.
“I really want Flemington to be all things to all people and have a real community side to it,” said Ms Elliott.
“We want to see the centre of the course completely landscaped and grassed and available for playing fields.”
“It’s about reinventing the traditional crowd that comes to a raceday and also giving both regulars and new attendees the chance to think about the raceday differently.”
She added: “Everyone wants to come to the four days (of the Cup carnival); we want them to come here every raceday. So we will be raising the bar across everything in 2018.”
Despite growing up in a family steeped in the tradition of thoroughbred racing and regularly attending Melbourne Cup Carnival, Ms Elliott was not naturally destined for the prestigious role she now fills.
She reveals today how the painful breakdown of her 16-year marriage to businessman John Elliott caused her to set a resolve that has led her to one of the most prominent sporting roles in the country.
Ms Elliott says she used the experience to empower her. It’s a lesson she is sharing with her team at the VRC as they forge an exciting new era.
READ MORE ABOUT AMANDA ELLIOTT’S BOLD PLANS FOR FLEMINGTON AS WELL AS HER FASCINATING PAST
Originally published as Two Flemington racetracks plan: VRC chair Amanda Elliott reveals ambitious proposal