Sunday meeting successful

Press, 30 September 1986, Page 23

Sunday meeting successful

NZPA-AAP Melbourne The Sunday after the V.F.L. Grand Final seems likely to become a regular race day for Moonee Valley after the huge success of Sunday’s Moonee Valley Stakes meeting. The crowd was nearly double that of last year and betting figures were up making the Moonee Valley Stakes meeting the most successful for many seasons.

Moonee Valley Racing Club chief executive, lan McEwen, was delighted with the day which was held amidst controversy.

"This has justified our claim that we could do better on a Sunday than against the Grand Final," Mr McEwen said. “It shows that two major sporting events can be held on Saturday and Sunday to everyone’s benefit.”

Mr McEwen said he ? wanted the Government to legislate fdr the Moonee Valley Stakes

meeting to be held on the Sunday after the Grand Final.

This is despite opposition from key racing participants including jockeys and trainers. An argument against Sunday racing has been the overtime rates which contribute significantly to the cost of running a Sunday meeting. Figures released by the club showed the attendance was up 87.8 per cent from 10,331 to 19,407. Mr McEwen said a major aspect of Sunday’s success was the increased number of families and children at the races. On-course betting on Moonee Valley was sAustl.274 million, compared to last year’s sAustBo9,4so. Over all, on course betting, including Canberra, Adelaide and Maryborough trots and Sandown greyhound racing, ft’as up 16.4 per cent from $1.31 million to $1,534 million.

Off-course betting was up from $7 million last year to $7,661 million after figures were added for interstate betting on Saturday. Mr McEwen said people had seemed to have saved their money for Sunday’s meeting. He said the cost of operating the Sunday meeting was no more than the Australia Day meeting with minor exceptions. “It was profit-making without any doubt,” he said.

He said the real benefit of the day may not be gauged until next December.

“Many people who came today had not been to Moonee Valley or were revisiting the new Moonee Valley after many years, and following the Cox Plate programme next month we might see a significant spin-off in crowd numbers in December,” Mr McEwen said.