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Which side are you on? Racing Victoria or Racing New South Wales? 30 minutes, or 40?
Racing Victoria and the Melbourne Racing Club decided to go it alone for the second Saturday in a row, scheduling their races only 30 minutes apart, taking clock ownership of the hour and half hour slots.
With the Caulfield races disrupting the normal schedule, the gaps between Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide races were all over the place, but they were roughly around the traditional 40-minute mark.
I was at Caulfield on Saturday to experience the 30-minute gap first hand. I applaud any initiative to try something different in racing, and the Melbourne Racing Club is to be applauded for leading the way in this country with progressive thinking. I’m proud to be a member. But personally, the 30-minute gap between races didn’t work for me.
It may well be that is in the best interests of the sport overall, and if it turns out to be the case, I’ll have to suck it up.
It must be said that the 30-minute gap test was a compromised experience given there was no buy-in from the other three states, so it’s hard to gain a true measure of what a real day would feel like.
Going to the races, which I do probably 10-12 times a year, is very much a social experience for me. I enjoy a drink and a chat, as well as doing last-minute race analysis, putting on quaddies and a couple of Big 6’s.
As a general rule, I’ll have a bet on every race in Melbourne, probably five or six races in Sydney, and maybe one or two in Adelaide or Brisbane. Going from inside between Caulfield races, outside to watch the race, getting a drink at the bar, a few toilet stops, a conversation with mates or running into an old friend – time gets pretty tight at 40-minute gaps, let alone 30.
And on the weekend you had instances where there was only a few minutes between racing in Melbourne and Sydney. Sometimes seconds. I didn’t even get my regulation quaddie on in time. Because of those extra shaved minutes? It didn’t help.
One of the arguments from 30-minute supporters is pointing to Friday night racing, be it at Moonee Valley or Cranbourne in Victoria, or Canterbury in New South Wales.
The difference is that there is only one other thoroughbred meeting on, and sometimes none. Also, the fields are generally smaller, and the quality inferior, so there is less form study to be done, and you can often put a quick line through a good portion of the field.
The success of T20 cricket has been the driving factor for other sports to investigate shorter versions of their own. The problem with the 30 minute gap is that it’s not actually enough of a drastic change.
A game of T20 takes 9% of the time of a Test match. It is 40% of the time of a one-day international. There’s a huge difference.
By taking 10 minutes off the gap between Saturday races, you’re shaving 80 minutes from a 380 minute day, from first race to last. The day becomes 80% of its usual length. It’s not enough of a difference to attract a “time poor” new audience.
If racing wants to trial a proper shortened version, it would schedule a day of five races 30 minutes apart. That’s a two hour day instead of five hours. Now you’re talking a measurable difference.
But of course that won’t happen, because the other measurable difference would be the most costly, to turnover and revenue. We can kiss that goodbye as an idea.
The aim of the Victorian racing clubs is to get more people back to the track. Of course, the challenge lies in the fact that Melbourne doesn’t get voted the world’s most liveable city because there’s nothing to do on the weekend.
Some people love their footy, but still only go five or six times a year. So how are you going to get casual racing fans to the track more often? Or the party crowd more than once in carnival time? It seems like an impossible task.
But Racing Victoria is to be commended for being agents of change. For thinking outside the square, and trying something new. Perhaps my experience is in the minority, and if so, that’s okay. I’m happy to be outvoted.
In fact, it’s a no-brainer that all non-Saturday meetings should have 30 minutes gaps. And all non-metropolitan Saturday meetings too, for that matter. But for where the biggest crowds go, and for the races that drive the most turnover, 40 minutes should remain.
My fear is that 30-minutes gaps between Saturday city races will alienate the currently faithful racing fans, but not bring in any new ones. The worst of both worlds.