Punters enjoying night racing at Moonee Valley. Picture: Supplied
Source: Supplied

EXPECTATIONS were enormous – the introduction of night racing at Moonee Valley on Australia Day 1998 was an advance that simply had to succeed.

So, despite massive rain during the previous 24 hours, the crowd of 32,342 was as much a relief as cause for celebration.

Turnover was much bigger than a normal meeting and the public lapped up the atmosphere, including a performance from Paul Kelly, and cheered home Shane Dye on odds-on favourite Vitrinite.

The challenge, of course, was to entice the punters back. With the next six meetings on unsuitable Wednesday nights, the opening season’s average was a more modest and realistic, but still encouraging, 8200 per night.

Unhappily, night racing soon enough lost its gloss. Meetings were shifted between Wednesday and Thursday, only two black type races were run during the 12 annual meetings and most races were glorified country events lacking depth and quality.

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The industry determined in 2005 that night racing needed a boost. Friday night was secured and the season offered three black type races (two Group 1s and a Listed race), 16 meetings and $3,681,000 in prizemoney with quality races.

Fast forward to this season and the vast improvement is obvious.

At the 18 Moonee Valley night meetings, prizemoney amounts to $10,260,000 and there are 11 black type races with two Group 1s, five Group 2s, two Group 3s and a Listed race.

The comparisons are confirmation of the development of Friday night racing, now a vital component of the racing calendar. This season’s prizemoney is 278 per cent more than five years ago.

Moonee Valley chairman Bob Scarborough insists that “we haven’t reached a plateau – we will continue to grow”.

“Friday night racing is getting it right. The industry got it wrong with racing earlier in the week, but once we settled on Friday nights we were on the up,” Scarborough said.

“The trainers and jockeys now accept it. The public also like the idea of Friday night because they don’t have to get up early the next day to go to work.

“And we’ll grow membership. There was an initial drop off, probably because of the fear of driving and alcohol, but now virtually all our new membership is in the young category, which is a positive for Moonee Valley and the industry.

“And for the punters and racing fans, the quality of our races has improved dramatically and provides excellent racing and betting opportunities.”

More, Moonee Valley is now exported into key international markets such as Asia, Europe and the US, and positioned alongside Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong as a leading night racing venue. It’s success has prompted NSW’s Canterbury to stage meetings on Friday nights to capitalise on the wagering turnover benefits of concurrent meetings.

While the average attendance so far this season is 3917 (up 20.66 per cent on last season), the reality is such crowds are commendable outside the Spring Carnival or major events.

Of as much importance to the industry is that the season’s average on-course turnover is $327,396 (up 12.62 per cent on last season) and the average off-course turnover is consistent at $2,530,221.

The success of night racing at the Valley has much to do with the ever-increasing quality of the races. Whereas in its infancy, rarely would a race capture the public attention, this season showcases many feature events.

The season began with the Group 1 Manikato Stakes on September 24 (won by Hay List) and will end with the Group 1 William Reid Stakes on March 25.

Next Friday night, the action returns with the Group 2 Australia Stakes with the headline runner being Peter Moody’s Typhoon Tracy the 2009-10 Australian Racehorse of the Year.

Not only are the quality of races better, but quality horses are on show. Typhoon Tracy is on a winner’s honour roll alongside the ilk of Black Caviar, Whobegotyou, El Segundo, Nicconi, Alcopop, Precedence and Hay List.

Programming of black type races also has been strategically re-positioned. For example, the Group 1 William Reid Stakes has moved from mid-February to late March, so that it sits 13 days after the Group 1 Newmarket Hcp and 15 days before the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick.

With Cranbourne set to join the night racing scene next season (alternating Friday night meetings with the Valley), racing under lights clearly is a vital ingredient of Victorian racing.