As sporting weekends go, next week is right up there.
Geelong and Hawthorn clash on Friday night – two powerhouse clubs fighting for a place in the AFL Grand Final.
Saturday doesn’t slow down, with Collingwood hosting Brisbane at the MCG at 5:15pm.
As it happens, punters will have to choose between one of the year’s biggest football games and Group 1 racing.
It’s the perfect opportunity for racing to adjust its schedule and let punters enjoy both codes [plus potentially NRL too, who will soon release their schedule].
Racing should show some flexibility.
Caulfield plays host to Group 1 racing with the Rupert Clarke Stakes, where Angel Capital and the likeable Sepals head the market.
The Group 1 Underwood Stakes is also on the card, a key guide to where our staying ranks sit heading towards spring’s bigger races. Two Group 3s – the Guineas Prelude and the Naturalism Stakes – add further depth.
The complicating factor is broadcast rights. Channel 7 has both, and in Victoria, the AFL will take precedence. The Preliminary Final coverage kicks off at 4pm.
Yet the last race at Caulfield is scheduled for 5.25pm – 15 minutes into the first quarter at the ‘G.
As it stands, fans at home face a choice between the build-up to a blockbuster prelim and elite racing. Racegoers too will weigh up whether to head to the track, stay home with the footy, or go to the MCG.
Yes, punters can find the races elsewhere – Racing.com, Sky Racing, or perhaps a secondary Channel 7 station, but the clash should be avoided.
No doubt Channel 7 would welcome the change – ideally the dual Group 1s in Melbourne are broadcast plus the 7 Stakes at Randwick – before it switches to the football.
Do non-Victorians care if the footy and races overlap? Many won’t, but with 4 of the big AFL clubs lining up, [including a team from Brisbane], the games will demand huge viewership.
You would think Racing Victoria will care. Less viewers means fewer punters, and fewer punters could mean less wagering turnover.
They’ve also leant into footballers who love racing to market the sport – Hawthorn’s Jack Gunston heavily featured in Channel 7 racing’s coverage on Saturday.
The flipside is, starting too early in the day will dampen turnover on the first few races. Maybe the compromise is starting at the same time, but condensing gaps between races.
Moving race times will take some political will from Racing Victoria, if they even want to do it. The clock is set around other Australian meetings, and the default position from Sky bosses and other jurisdictions is to ‘leave things the way they are’.
RV has often spoken about working with other sports and media to maximise engagement. This is the perfect chance to put that into action. Caulfield, too, has shown a willingness to look after punters.
In this case, tweaking a classic day of racing so fans can enjoy both massive sporting events feels like a no-brainer.
