Moonee Valley will need to put forward an elaborate plan to host thousands of fans for the 2021 All-Star Mile if the social distancing restrictions continue easing through the summer. According to Victorian racing minister Martin Pakula, the fans will be returning to the tracks in weeks.
In the beginning, the number will be limited to 500 and gradually increase up to 5000 people. Pakula also hopes that everything will go back to normal in time for the Melbourne autumn carnival of racing. That’s good news for race betting fans who will also have the opportunity to wager with smartbets.com while enjoying the races from anywhere. UK-facing online brand that offers customers a full horse racing service.
Every race will limit the number of owners to 30 while restricting the time they spend on the racecourse. The owners have returned on the tracks in Victoria for several weeks now. However, Pakula says the gates will open to Melbourne’s public after the three city clubs, Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria submits their safety proposals.
During an interview with RSN Radio earlier on Monday, Pakula said the fact that owners have been back on the tracks for weeks inspired confidence to let the crowd back on the tracks. That’s another great advance for the racing community and another step towards economic recovery in the country.
Pakula further added that only 500 people would be allowed into racecourses in December under the current public events regulations. However, the number will move upwards after every few weeks as long as they maintain the current infection profile, which is quite promising for racing fans.
The plan is to have up to 5000 people attending races within a few weeks. That will take more than two weeks, although fans might be back to racecourses during the first country meeting scheduled next week. However, how the event will look depends on Country Racing Victoria’s plan or the regulations signed off by the hosts together with the metropolitan clubs.
Pakula hopes the Valley will submit an elaborate proposal to have a few thousand people at the All-Star Mile scheduled for next year at MVRC. They’ll also have to create a robust safety plan in line with social distancing regulations. Pakula also believes that the CRV might represent all country clubs as they prepare for their annual cups and picnics meetings during the summer. However, whether there will be crowds at Saturday’s Woolamai picnics and Sunday’s Jerico Cup races at Warrnambool remains a mystery.
Pakula suggests talking to the CRV and the three metropolitan clubs on behalf of the country clubs on submitting applications. To him, it will be unnecessary to submit an application for every racing day.
When asked why hospitality has surpassed racing in opening its gates to the general public, Pakula revealed that sports are classified as an event. However, the crowd will be back once the plans have been submitted. Pakula also added that racing continued for months while other sectors were shut down thanks to the argument that people going on the tracks were plying their trade.
