Night meetings will be held at Victoria’s new racecourse, Racing.com Park, from early next year, with the announcement on Thursday the Victorian State Government will contribute $5 million to the project.
Works on the $12m project - to also be funded by Racing Victoria (RV), Country Racing Victoria (CRV) and Pakenham Racing Club (PRC) - will begin in June, bringing to three the number of Victorian venues that can host night meetings along with Moonee Valley and Cranbourne.
“Exploring opportunities to expand the Victorian night racing circuit is one of the priorities of our Strategic Plan as a way of increasing audience engagement and maximising domestic and international wagering opportunities,” said RV chief executive Bernard Saundry.
“Thursday night racing at Racing.com Park will become a feature of our calendar from next season and we expect a significant uplift in wagering returns based on the expansion of our night racing circuit.
“On behalf of the industry, I wish to thank the Minister for Racing, Martin Pakula, and the State Government for supporting the industry’s vision to grow and develop Victorian racing here and into international markets.
“The Government funding will help further develop what is a first-class racing precinct and provide significant benefits for the Cardinia Shire, the local community and the wider Victorian racing industry.” (racing.com)