Victorians looking for a relaxing day at the races are flocking to the Caulfield Racecourse to attend the Melbourne Racing Club’s Summer of Racing campaign.
The campaign has a ‘Summer on the Lawn’ theme and kicked off on Australia Day on 26 January. The next event – Family Day – is on this Saturday, 11 February, and Blue Diamond Stakes Day will be held on 25 February.
The Andrews Labor Government is contributing almost $192,000 through the Victorian Racing Industry Fund Raceday Attraction Program and the Melbourne Racing Club is providing more than $270,000.
The Family Day event will focus on providing value for money for families with an extensive range of children’s activities, including carnival rides, a jumping castle, face painting, pony rides and an activity zone for teenagers.
The target for the Blue Diamond Stakes Day will be patrons aged 18 to 35 and the main feature will be a headline musical performance by the band Kingswood.
Last year, the Government provided the Melbourne Racing Club with almost $150,000 to support its highly successful Relaxed Racing Campaign which attracted more than 25,000 patrons over four days.
The racing industry in metropolitan Melbourne generates more than $1.5 billion for the Victorian economy and helps sustain over 13,590 full-time equivalent jobs locally.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Racing Martin Pakula
“The Andrews Labor Government is pleased to be supporting the Melbourne Racing Club with its Summer of Racing campaign which offers entertainment on and off the track.”
“Caulfield is one of the best thoroughbred racing venues in Australia and is easily accessible by car and public transport, making it ideally suited for visitors and families to attend.”
Quote attributable to Melbourne Racing Club General Manager Racing Jake Norton
“We are extremely grateful for the continuing support from the Victorian Government which will allow us to build on last year’s successful campaign and attract new audiences to our summer races.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020