Ballarat Cup date concern after Cox Plate proposed change

Traditionally, Moonee Valley runs its showpiece on the Saturday prior to the start of the Melbourne Cup carnival, but reports suggest it has been earmarked as a possibility to run later in November, allowing for an extended spring racing program which could take advantage of the quiet time on the sporting calendar.

The change, which is expected to aim for a period two to three weeks after the Melbourne Cup Carnival concludes, could have a direct impact on Ballarat's stand-alone Cup Day.

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Ballarat Turf Club chief executive Belinda Glass said a decision on whether to move the Cox Plate would need to be made within the next "two to three weeks" before the racing fixture was released in March.

She said full consultation with country clubs affected, including Ballarat, Cranbourne and Pakenham would need to be had in that time.

Glass said a change of date, would not just impact the Ballarat Cup race, but also the long-standing partnership between the Magic Millions and two-year-old races.

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"Ballarat Turf Club is very keen to retain our date," she said. "We think that the standalone Saturday has generated a great event, strong fields and ideally we don't want to lose that date.

"It works well for us and particularly our partners like Magic Millions who have less flexibility around a date change because it needs to fit in with two-year-old programs.

"They can't go earlier because the two-year-olds aren't ready and if we go later, it clashes with other races which lead up to the other two-year-old races and sales on the Gold Coast in January. Our race day is their launching platform."

Traditionally the Ballarat Cup is run on the third Saturday after the Melbourne Cup, meaning it would be scheduled to run on November 25 this year.

Glass believes the proposed change to the Cox Plate would be about increasing racing's footprint in a traditionally quiet time of the year for sport.

"I think they want to see more feature Group 1 racing at a time when there is not so much competition from other sport," she said.

"I have no doubt they see the November period as a time where you should be able to take advantage of feature racing before the cricket really takes off. I've no doubt it's about racing being more prominent for a longer period of time.

"But it does have to consider what the best results are for racing across the board and that it is simply not done for metro. There's an argument that if you throw a bit more at the country cups, then that can fill that void."

Victoria Racing Club chief executive Steve Rosich has described the reports of a date change to the showpiece as "premature and speculative".

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He said industry consultation process regarding a possible Spring Carnival revamp was ongoing with Racing Victoria, "no changes have yet been decided upon".

Chief executive of the Moonee Valley Racing Club Michael Browell told racenet that he endorsed the consultation process.

"Racing Victoria's proposal to review the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival has been received with open minds and constructive debate surrounding optimisation specific to the state's premium racing calendar program," he said.

"While no firm decision has been reached, the drive for innovation is one shared by the MVRC with a strong emphasis on program and industry consultation."

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