Moonee Valley aims to become world leader with $2 billion, six-year transformation

THE Valley, the home of the Cox Plate, is about to undergo a six-year, $2 billion transformation that the club hopes will turn it into a world leader in terms of a racing and residential precinct.

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THE home of the Cox Plate is about to undergo a six-year, $2 billion transformation.

Work will begin on the first stage of a revamped Valley — a residential section on the site of the members’ car park — just days after Winx’s record-breaking attempt at a fourth victory in the famous race.

Moonee Valley Racing Club believes the new complex, which will include 2000 apartments housing more than 4000 residents, will see it become a world leader in terms of a racing, residential and community precinct.

The construction of a new racetrack and grandstand won’t start until after the 2022 Cox Plate.

Artists impression of how revamped racecourse The Valley will look in 2024 after a huge redevelopment.

It is believed the 2023 version of the weight-for-age championship of Australia would need to be moved to either Flemington or Caulfield during the construction period.

“There would be a period of about 18 months needed to build the track and the grandstand, so we would start that on the Monday after the (2022) Cox Plate and then be up and running 18 months later,” Moonee Valley Racing Club chief executive Michael Browell said.

After years of planning, the Moonee Valley Racing Club earlier this month was given the green light to start work on the first phase of the redevelopment, which Browell describes as “a game changer”.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we will leave no stone unturned in making it happen,” Browell told the Herald Sun.

Construction of the new racetrack and grandstand will begin in 2022 and be ready for action in 2024.

“The club has been here for 135 years, and we’ve had a long and proud history in that time. This project will ensure the club is here for the next 135 years.”

The project, dubbed The Valley of Tomorrow, has seen the MVRC team up with superannuation fund HOSTPLUS and developer Hamton to transform the site, which will include 2000 apartments housing more than 4000 residents in the coming years.

“We see this as a great opportunity to deliver a brilliant new asset for our great sporting capital — an iconic precinct to join the likes of the MCG and Melbourne Park,” Browell said.

“More than that, the new reconfigured track and grandstand will provide seven-day and seven-night facilities for Moonee Valley members and the local community to world-class standards.”

Plans for the new track would see it moved in 60 metres along the northern boundary, with the new course widened from 24m out to 30m, and the circumference decreasing from 1805m to 1702m.

MVRC chief executive Michael Browell insists the Valley’s intimate atmosphere won’t be lost with the new facilities. Picture: Getty Images

The new home straight would be increased from 173m to 317m, with the track having an uphill run from the 800m mark, with a rise of three metres to the winning post, making it a true test.

But Browell insisted the changes won’t have an impact on the intimate atmosphere of The Valley. “Moonee Valley is an amphitheatre; it has got an intimacy about it, and that won’t change,” he said.

He predicts there will be more race meetings at the venue — possibly up to 35 — giving more owners and trainers the opportunity to race at the new Moonee Valley.

“The Valley of Tomorrow is without doubt one of the most exciting projects in world racing, but for the moment, let’s all enjoy The Valley of Today when Winx creates history on Saturday,” Browell said.

Valley want to light up Cox Plate

MOONEE Valley Racing Club wants to stage a night Cox Plate by 2024 in its pursuit of becoming the world’s premier night racing centre.

Just days out from the most anticipated Cox Plate in history — where Winx will shoot for a fourth consecutive win — MVRC chief executive Michael Browell has revealed further details about the club’s “game changing” $2 billion redevelopment plans.

Part of that centres on turning Australia’s weight-for-age championship into a prime-time spectacular, possibly as early as 2024, which would increase its exposure to even bigger global audience.

Switching the Cox Plate to a night event would boost its global appeal, according to the MVRC. Picture: Getty Images

“We wouldn’t run a night Cox Plate until the track is redeveloped, but that’s what we would like to do when the project is finished,” Browell said.

A switch to a night Cox Plate would take it into a better time zone with Asia and in the northern hemisphere, increasing its reach into those areas, but also tapping into the wagering markets from outside Australia.

“We want more night meetings and we want better quality of races at night,” Browell said. “We want this to become the best night racing venue in the world. That’s our grand ambition, and that’s what we are working towards with the redevelopment.”

The Group 1 Manikato Stakes is run under lights at Moonee Valley. Picture: Getty Images