Is it time to loosen some of racing’s strict dress codes?

Racing, like all institutions, must move with the times. But members are split over whether it’s time to relax some of the track’s most strident rules regarding dress to help attract younger members to the sport.

The issue has been a hot topic through the years, and is back on the agenda after Racing Victoria’s new chief executive, Andrew Jones, expressed his desire for Victoria’s three metropolitan clubs to relax their dress regulations in an attempt to make the sport more accessible.

Time for a change? Some people in racing circles are pushing to relax dress codes in members’ areas.Credit: Eddie Jim

The movement has already begun in Europe. A large cohort of courses in the United Kingdom this month largely ditched their dress codes. The 15 courses managed by the Jockey Club, which does not include Royal Ascot, will still not allow certain “offensive” clothing but ties, jackets and footwear will no longer be regulated.

The rules at Australian courses range from the relaxed to the regimented. At Flemington, members are required to wear jackets and ties, and women must cover their midriff, and must wear dress shoes. The only exception is between December and March, when jackets are optional. Sydney’s Australian Turf Club, which runs Randwick and Rosehill, extends the jacket amnesty for the whole of the annual daylight savings period, from October to April. The ATC also has different codes for weekend and midweek meets.

Meanwhile, Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) enforces mandatory ties in the members only on Caulfield Cup and Caulfield Guineas days. The MRC and Moonee Valley racing clubs generally have more relaxed dress codes when compared with the VRC.

At last month’s Asian Racing Conference, held in Melbourne, Jones suggested it might be time to examine whether racecourses’ dress codes were holding them back from luring younger members.

Fashion forward, within the rules ... Emma Gott and Cameron MacDonald at Derby Day 2022.Credit: Eddie Jim

“Why do we need a dress code? Why don’t we let people wear what they want, they will figure it out,” he told the conference. “No one rings up a restaurant and asks about the dress code – they just wear what they want. We need to look at things like dress codes and admission prices.”

Jones’ view is a personal one, but the new Racing Victoria boss has asked the Victoria, Melbourne and Moonee Valley racing clubs to consider their dress codes and how they relate to making racing more attractive to the next generation.

But long-standing Victoria Racing Club members and Fashions on the Field devotees are concerned any dilution of dress codes will do more harm than good.

Emma Scodellaro, 44, is a veteran of Fashions on the Field and says the Facebook group she runs for competition enthusiasts, It’s All About the Sash, “went crazy” after the Jockey Club announcement in the UK. “Let’s hope it doesn’t happen here,” she said. “Even though racing fashion people move with the trends and push the boundaries, they are still traditionalists at heart. People are scared the [dress] standard in the members will lower. They don’t really manage that when you are there - at Flemington they do - but at some, pretty much anything can get into the members.”

Emma Scodellaro: ‘People should be encouraged to embrace their personal style, with some guidelines.’Credit: Eddie Jim

However, Scodellaro acknowledged that more needed to be done to attract young people to both the races and Fashions on the Field, which largely has an over-30s demographic. She thought relaxing the dress code on some days, but not during Melbourne Cup week, could be a good compromise.

“People should be encouraged to embrace their personal style, with some guidelines,” she said.

Public relations consultant and VRC member Tara Bishop says she enjoys seeing people putting their personal stamp within the confines of the members’ dress code. “I know ties are not de rigeur in many places at the moment, but I still like seeing them worn at the races.”

But Bishop agrees with the sentiment for change. “If relaxing a few rules makes people feel more comfortable … that can’t be a bad thing. I am confident many would still opt for the dressier end of the sartorial spectrum.”

Tara Bishop loves traditions, but is open to change if it secures the future of the sport.Credit: Simon Schluter

VRC chairman Neil Wilson says the club regularly surveys its members and the majority want stricter, not looser, dress regulations.

“The overwhelming feedback we get from the vast majority is that they want the dress code to be at least what it is and some are asking for us to make it tighter,” Wilson told RSN radio recently.

“Our members’ area is compulsory, so people are not allowed in if they don’t meet the dress conditions, and they know that when they sign up as a member.”

But Wilson says Flemington is big enough to cater for everyone. “It’s a choice that you can make at Flemington,” he said.

“You can come to Flemington and find a spot and wear what you wish, everything from chicken suits on Cup Day which we see each year … right through to very serious and very formal wear with top hats and tails.

“This talk of ‘fans want this’, well our fans as members want to be in a place where people are complying with the regulations that are commensurate with what they consent.”

A spokeswoman for the VRC said there were no current plans to change its dress code, though it did make some exceptions on days when the forecast was in the 30s. She also emphasised that there were no dress requirements in general admission areas of the track.

Scodellaro said if racing organisers wanted to attract younger people to the sport, dress codes were only part of the issue. She said organisers needed to look at encouraging more families to attend, and also to better address education about equine welfare among Generation Z. “When you’re in the inner circle [of racing], you know how well the horses are loved. But some younger people may just see the outside issue and not delve deeper.”

Wilson said he also feared what any changes would mean for Australia’s fashion industry. “Racing is actually a fashion category worldwide, and it’s a massive economy, and it’s very important to our industry that there are milliners and designers that work exclusive in the racing area,” he said.

Last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival accounted for $51.9 million in retail sales, including fashion ($34.1 million) and grooming, according to the VRC’s annual report. It estimates more than 230,000 fashion items were purchased by people attending the races.

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