INCLUSION of the Golden Slipper meeting in next year’s format of The Championships will be among the Australian Turf Club debrief discussion points. ATC chairman Michael Crismale said the addition of the Golden Slipper meeting to an expanded Championship would be part of the post mortem.
Crismale, speaking today on TVN’s Racing Review, said he hoped within the next month to have a clear indication of how the 2015 Sydney autumn carnival, including The Championships, would look.
“Our analysis and post mortem of the carnival will consider whether an iconic race meeting such as the Golden Slipper needs to be embraced as part of The Championships,” Crismale said.
Crismale said one part of the discussion would revolve around how far The Championships should be extended.
But, Crismale noted the issue is where do you stop extending The Championships.
“Is it two, three or four weeks?,” he asked.
“I don’t think you can stretch the spring carnival from a Championship point of view too far wider.
“You certainly need to give punters, racegoers or participants the opportunity to chose between two or three weeks.
“Not everyone is going to go three weeks in a row.”
Crismale said the initial wagering analysis had been “promising”, so, too, the crowd numbers.
“We as a club are very proud of what we have delivered over six weeks,” he said
“The Championships has certainly been a great addition to the event we present.”
Crismale said what made the success of the carnival, headlined by The Championships, was there had been very little time to prepare for it given it was not locked away until November.