VRC sheds light on Flemington plans, with trainers’ future at track assured until at least 2025

The VRC has rejected plans for a second track at Flemington, the home of the Melbourne Cup, instead opting for more twilight meetings with light lining down its famous straight.

Lights could be installed along Flemington’s famous straight to stage twilight racing as the Victoria Racing Club turned its back on a second track and guaranteed the future of its trainers.

Revealing the club’s blueprint for the future until the next planning phase in 2025, VRC chairman Amanda Elliott said a comprehensive detailed analysis of “different racing scenarios” led to the rejection of a second track at Headquarters.

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Flemington racecourse comes alive on Saturday with Turnbull Stakes Day.

Instead, after two years of intensive planning, the club will seek to elevate the quality of its existing product across its 25 meetings, while giving trainers assurances over their future at Flemington for at least another six years.

The club had been considering installing a second track and boosting the number of meetings it stages to 40.

But Elliott said the VRC had settled on a “less is more approach” as part of a multi-layered review.

VRC chairman Amanda Elliott has settled on a “less is more approach” as part of a multi-layered review.

Major outcomes from the analysis are:

PLANS for every race to be staged along the Flemington straight course on February 9.

TWILIGHT meetings to be held on December 14, January 18, February 9 and March 4.

PLANS to have a feature race at each of the 25 Flemington race days.

Elliott moved to reassure the 18 Flemington-based trainers they would remain at the course until at least the next planning phase in 2025.

“We have many of the best trainers in Australia based at Flemington. This decision gives them certainty going forward,” Elliott said.

The famous Flemington straight floodlit would be something special.

She said the decision to not to install a second track, principally for night racing, was to concentrate instead on quality fixtures.

“The VRC will focus on optimising each of its 25 race days to a premium level,” Elliott said.

“We have introduced twilight dates across summer and autumn.

“And are now considering the possibility of lights down the Flemington straight for a day-night program involving our incredible new facilities, and giving our patrons a new experience.

“The board also considered the existing heavy schedule of racing for human and equine participants, and felt that concentrating on taking its 25 meetings to a whole new level was more important than increasing the number of race meetings held at Flemington.

The VRC has rejected plans for a second track at headquarters.

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“The next phase of the planning horizon has been designed to leverage the distinctive features and deep history that VRC members and racing enthusiasts value at Flemington.

“We will place an emphasis on elevating existing black-type races as well as developing new ones with the ambition of having a feature race at every VRC race day.”

The Flemington circuit is home to the Melbourne Cup.

The announcement follows an increase in prizemoney and bonuses for the Melbourne Cup Carnival to a record $27.6 million, and a new multi-million-dollar synthetic training track.

The VRC said one the key focuses of its racing strategy is the welfare of horses, resulting the club “undertaking a body of work aimed at ensuring Flemington has the best facilities for training, racing and recovery.”

Originally published as VRC sheds light on Flemington plans, with trainers’ future at track assured until at least 2025