Christmas Day might be one of two race-free days on the Victorian calendar, but any racing fans suffering withdrawal symptoms won’t have to wait long to get their fix. From Boxing Day through until the first weekend in January there will be 35 race meetings conducted at Victorian racecourses.
It all kicks off with a bumper Boxing Day where there are six regional meetings in all corners of the state to complement the metropolitan meeting at Caulfield, featuring the $120,000 Listed Christmas Stakes (1200m).
Geelong is the main provincial meeting, but Wodonga and Kerang will race in the north of the state, Nhill and Penshurst both host their only meetings of the year in the west, while Drouin’s popular picnic meeting will be run to the east of Melbourne.
Benalla will host a day meeting on Friday, ahead of a Cranbourne night meeting, before four Victorian meetings on the final Saturday of the year.
Moonee Valley will be the scene for metropolitan action, while Stony Creek will host a TAB fixture with north-eastern track Towong and alpine venue Mansfield – who both race just twice a year – to also host racegoers.
Listed racing returns to Mornington on Sunday through the $120,000 Lord Stakes (1600m) with the Woodford Cup meeting at Warrnambool to also be run that day.
Ararat is the venue for racing the following day with the traditional New Year’s Eve meeting at Echuca the final Victorian fixture for 2013.
The new year kicks off with a bang with Flemington’s traditional meeting, featuring the Group 3 Standish Handicap and Listed Bagot Handicap, which is one of eight meeting on 1 January.
Mornington will host its second meeting in four days, while the other TAB fixture is at Terang. Hanging Rock also hosts its immensely popular raceday in the Macedon Ranges, while Burrumbeet (near Ballarat) will conduct its only meeting of the year and Wimmera track Murtoa will also race.
Rounding out the New Year’s Day action are Pakenham and Merton, which both hold picnic fixtures.
Geelong then races on 2 January with Wangaratta and Cranbourne (night) following up the next day before a quartet of meetings on the first Saturday of the year.
Caulfield and Bairnsdale are the two TAB meeting on 4 January with Dederang’s once-a-year meeting and Alexandra the picnic fixtures.
There is further picnic action the following day, with Woolamai complementing TAB meetings at Warrnambool and Kilmore.
The full list of programs in Victoria over the Christmas/New Year period is available via the calendar page on the Racing Victoria website, while information specific to each club can be accessed from Country Racing Victoria.