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Glamorous fillies enjoying their day in the spotlight with a smile on their face and a sparkle in their eye. It’s what has made racing socially attractive in Melbourne but lacking in Sydney. Oh, and then there’s also some horse racing.
3,572 people turned up to Warwick Farm on the weekend of the Group 1 Randwick Guineas in a depressing state of affairs which hopefully, is not a precursor to crowd expectations over the coming weeks.
Sydney’s carnival has often been bandied around as a second class which lacks the international attention of Melbourne, Royal Ascot, Hong Kong or Dubai. But despite this, the prize money available is second only to Dubai and Melbourne over the course of the season.
There are many things which are out of the control of Racing NSW or the Australian Turf club but marketing is not one of them.
Marketing to punters is a waste of time, using Black Caviar as a drawcard is unsustainable and targeting children is unethical. Women hold the key.
The most potent factor in the carnivals limited social success is the timing in the year. Positioned in the middle of autumn when it’s getting quite cold in Sydney, race days rarely top 25 degrees. Winter is coming, people are miserable and it’s a busy time of year for just about everyone.
Throughout April, corporate professionals (the biggest punters in the industry) are scampering their time in preparation for end of financial year reports while University students are smack bang in the middle of semester one.
The rain is falling every few days and mornings are spent wrapped up in woollen blankets with only alarm clocks empowered to draw us into chilly reality.
But the weather and time are in no one’s control.
Melbourne’s spring carnival has worked for so long because of its position towards the end of spring when temperatures are starting to warm and it is a relaxed time of the year.
The corporate professionals are winding up their activities for the year and counting down the days until the annual Christmas party when Senior Vice-President Elliot is going to have a few too many and make a fool of himself.
Students are finishing their exams and flock in masses to four days at Flemington.
The bright colours are out, sunglasses poised and beverages are opened to celebrate what a year it has been.
They don’t receive much attention from racing purists, but it is women who drive the social success of the Melbourne spring carnival.
Horse racing may be considered the Sport of Kings but for those few days of the year in the spring, women are given absolute freedom to treat themselves like Queens, or in the case of fillies – Princesses.
Photos of intoxicated young-adults have coupled with runny eye-liner and hand held stilettos have massacred the image of the carnival for some. However, it must not be forgotten that the carnival is a celebration for all, not just racing purists.
Without the festive attitudes of Melbournian’s flocking to Flemington to soak up the much-anticipated sunshine and satisfaction of dressing like royalty, crowds of 100,000 would be cut down to 20,000.
Even with the exuberant price hikes of charging $8.80 for a can or beer and $35 for a bottle of champagne, racegoers are more than happy to pay for a great day at the races. This is all before a single wager is placed.
The alternative is to slap on a miniskirt and prance from dance floor to dance floor before passing out in a cab on the way home at 6am. Why not celebrate in class?
Horse racing carnivals are Australia’s biggest parties yet retain an element of grace and elegance, for the first half of the day at least.
While the Victorian Racing Club can preach their messages of celebrating the horses as much as they want, it is the social element of horse racing in the spring which keeps people returning.
The fashion, the alcohol and the celebrities uphold the celebrative mood which swamps race tracks in the spring.
After the Melbourne metropolitan race courses, Sha Tin is my next most frequented track. There, I see the ill effects of a racing culture where it’s only about the horses, or better yet – punting.
While crowd numbers are excellent and there is a surprisingly active atmosphere in the stands, people are only there to gamble. The first time I went, I wore a collared shirt, trousers and dress shoes.
I felt drastically overdressed. I would have been underdressed and denied entry to any day of the spring carnival.
The majority of the crowd looked like they’d just wandered in off the streets. It felt like the sport of paupers. That is the result of a culture founded under the marketing to genuine racing fans.
If racing was successfully promoted to ‘once a year racegoer’, it would somewhat subtract from the allure of major days in the spring and autumn. Sure – some betting agency will have more revenue but the racing has shifted beyond just the horses.
The Australian Turf Club may not want to admit it, but unless they adapt with societal expectations and change, culture and intrigue in racing will never grow.
It pains racing purists to see intoxicated professionals tossing their ties and celebrating a win when their horse jumps away best but uninformed crowds are better than none at all.
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