The warning comes as Ballarat officers prepare to ramp up patrols with the help of extra road policing resources, which will be called in to the city ahead of the races.

Highway Patrol member Acting Senior Sergeant Ben Young said it was important for residents to plan ahead if they were going to drink at the Ballarat Turf Club on Saturday.

“Police strongly encourage racegoers to utilise alternate modes of transport,” he said.

“Separate your drinking from your driving.”

Increased patrols and specialist traffic units would be out in force on the day, Acting Senior Sergeant Young said.

His comments follow the release of numbers from Operation Safe Speeds, which was a nationwide 24-hour blitz involving Ballarat police on November 16.

Ballarat Highway Patrol members issued more than 15 fines for speeding and safety offences across the region’s roads during the sting.

One driver was also processed after they were allegedly caught drink driving.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Doug Fryer said the results were disappointing given speed was a major contributing factor in collisions on regional roads.

“We’re really keen for the community to understand the impact of speed on our roads,” he said.

“Even low level speeding of five or 10km/h over the limit doubles the chance of a collision.

“Officers nationally detected 6618 speeding offences throughout the day, with Victoria contributing to the tally with nearly 1000 motorists fined for speeding.

“The highest speed detected in Victoria was 185km/h in a 100 km zone, which is absolute madness.”