By Paul Pickering
CRANBOURNE Turf Club chief executive Neil Bainbridge insists the club’s October showpiece will not be lost in a potential reshuffle of the Caulfield Cup Carnival.
Bainbridge this week said he was surprised by reports that Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) was considering moving its Thousand Guineas meeting to the date currently occupied by the Cranbourne Cup.
The move from Wednesday to Sunday would see the Caulfield Guineas and Thousand Guineas run on consecutive days on the weekend prior to the Caulfield Cup, and would almost certainly force a rethink of Cranbourne’s place in the spring calendar.
But Bainbridge called for calm this week, saying he was confident that a suitable arrangement for both clubs would be found.
He said the Cranbourne committee would discuss the issue – including options of running its cup midweek or on a Friday night – at a meeting next week.
“The Melbourne Racing Club has not made a decision to go to that Sunday, they’ve merely flagged it as something they may consider,” Bainbridge said
“It might be next year, it might be in 10 years, it might never happen.”
The MRC plan is yet to be endorsed by Racing Victoria, and Bainbridge said the prospect of running the Thousand Guineas and Cranbourne Cup on the same day seemed untenable.
“Cranbourne Cup day is the second-highest wagering meeting in country Victoria, behind the Geelong Cup, so a clash with a Group 1 race meeting in the metropolitan area wouldn’t be ideal for anyone,” he said.
Moving the Cranbourne Cup back to a Wednesday – most likely 10 days before the Caulfield Cup – is likely to be a last resort, unless that date can enjoy the same public holiday status afforded to the Geelong Cup.
“We think it would be highly unlikely that the City of Casey would provide a public holiday for the running of the Cranbourne Cup, so with that unlikely to occur, we just need to work through what is the best opportunity for families and young people to attend,” Bainbridge said.
With night racing set to begin at Cranbourne next October, Bainbridge said a Friday night cup was an option for 2012 and beyond.
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