Punters’paradise on Sunday

By Gavin Staindl
THE race day dubbed the “punter’s paradise” will be held this Sunday at the Cranbourne Racing Centre.
The Tricodes event that uniquely features greyhounds, thoroughbreds and harness races at the one venue will begin at 11.45am with a race being run once every 15 minutes.
The event first ran in 2002 after Rob Hulls, who is now the racing minister, and the Cranbourne racing community had the idea of combining the three specialities that would hopefully encourage a wider support base for all three forms of racing.
“It is unique because you have supporters supporting other codes,” said Cranbourne Turf Club chief executive Neil Bainbridge.
“It has been an outstanding concept and well-supported, too. It is the biggest day for greyhounds at Cranbourne, the biggest day for harness racing at Cranbourne and the second biggest day for the flats behind the Cranbourne Cup,” Bainbridge said.
As races are run every 15 minutes, the punters have plenty of races to chose from without the usual delay between races.
“It is certainly a punter’s paradise. The wagering is always good and there is plenty to choose from with a product run every 15 minutes,” said Bainbridge.
With nominations still being finalised, Bainbridge expects a quality field over the three codes.
“It is consistently proven to be a strong racing card over all three codes,” Bainbridge said.
And with the weather on Sunday tipped to reach a top of 28 degrees, Bainbridge is expecting another decent turn out for the ninth annual event.
“It’s the flagship event for Casey and history tells us we can expect a pleasing crowd of at least 5,000 people,” said Bainbridge.