The Victoria Racing Club says it feels “a sense of responsibility” to use its Melbourne Cup carnival platform to help raise funds for flood victims.
The Flemington race club, which had its flood-prevention wall scrutinised by flood victims for potentially directing this month’s Maribyrnong River flood onto nearby residents, has kick-started a fundraiser for flood victims with a $500,000 contribution and hopes to announce a bigger final figure by the end of Cup week as sponsors, members and racegoers kick in.
The floodwall around Flemington Racecourse on Monday.Credit:Darrian Traynor
The half-a-million dollar commitment will go towards a yet-to-be-determined charity focused on supporting the flood recovery. Meanwhile, Melbourne Water is reviewing whether the wall around the racetrack – built in 2007 – exacerbated the risk of flooding for nearby residents.
VRC chairman Neil Wilson said the club had copped some damage from the recent wild weather, but his thoughts were with Australians who were doing it much tougher.
“Flemington would have been impacted if the wall wasn’t there, absolutely,” he said.
“We’ve had some damage, but we’ve worked through that. To a certain extent, we’ve been extremely lucky from a damage point of view, and we’re conscious that others around the country are dealing with much bigger situations than we did.
“We’re on the eve of the greatest week of Australian racing, and all of the excitement that comes with it, but we’re acutely aware, across Australia, across Victoria and even right here in Melbourne adjacent to Flemington, we’ve got people that are dealing with the situation, with the floods.”
Wilson said he hoped the club could use its platform to enhance the fundraising efforts and surpass the half a million already pledged from the VRC.
“We feel a sense of responsibility, using Cup week as a platform, with our partners and our members and a whole range of people that are going to be involved, with the coverage on Network Ten as well, to actually support the flood relief program,” he said.
“We’ve kicked it off today with an announcement of a minimum amount of $500,000, and hopefully by Stakes day we can announce an amount bigger than that.
“We’re going to put that money into an established charity, which we will be announcing in the next couple of days, and they’ll have a program for that to be distributed to the people who need it most.
“We’re very conscious that the money needs to flow to the people who most need it.”
For the first time since 2019, Cup week will have no restrictions on crowds. The club is anticipating at least 270,000 – and potentially up to 300,000 – racegoers across the four days, starting with Derby day on Saturday and followed by the Melbourne Cup day next Tuesday.
“After the last two years we’ve had – 2020, no people here, and 2021, a small number – 300,000 people across the four days, we simply can’t wait,” Wilson said.
“The next week, Cup week, is going to be three years in the making. A lot of the thinking and planning we did over those three years is really coming to Cup week next week.
“We really haven’t just taken the 2019 Cup week blueprint and made that happen this year. We’ve taken the elements of that, that people love, but also reimagined a whole lot of new things, such as the Birdcage, The Park is back full of Australian artists, the best food in Melbourne, and let’s not forget the centre stage, which is racing.
“The racing is shaping up to be the best fields we’ve seen in many years.”
The VRC made a crucial change to its Cup week program for this spring, moving the group 1 Cantala Handicap from Derby day, and placing it on Stakes day under weight-for-age conditions.
The final day of Cup week will now host three weight-for-age races – a Champions Sprint (1200 metres), Champions Mile (1600 metres) and Champions Stakes (2000 metres ) – in an effort to bolster Stakes day.
VRC chief executive Steve Rosich believes that could make the final day of Cup week the most popular of the four days.
“The demand for Penfolds Victoria Derby day and Lexus Melbourne Cup day is incredibly strong, and I think now with people and racegoers alike seeing the fields that are likely on the final day, TAB Champion Stakes day, that could end up being the biggest and best day of racing,” Rosich said.
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