News

Friday nights on summer program

1st Dec 2009

Daily Telegraph - Ray Thomas - Monday, 30 November 2009

SYDNEY Turf Club is set to trial at least two Friday night race meetings at Canterbury over summer as a precursor to a permanent switch from Thursday nights.

With night racing returning to Canterbury tomorrow, STC chief executive Michael Kenny revealed plans to have two night meetings on Fridays early next year.

"We are in negotiations with the harness racing industry and Racing NSW to gain approval to trial two Friday night meetings over summer," Kenny said. "It will be an interesting exercise to see how successful Friday nights are at Canterbury."

Kenny considers there are valid reasons to move night racing to Friday evenings, including:

PROVIDING a schedule of night meetings to complement existing Moonee Valley race dates;

EXPECTED surges in betting turnover on Friday nights;

THE likelihood of attendance increases; and

AN OPPORTUNITY to broadcast Canterbury night racing into Singapore.

Kenny said STC had planned six Thursday night race meetings this season - the others coming on December 17, January 14 and 28, February 18 and March 4.

But he is hopeful of trialling Canterbury gallops on Friday nights on January 15 and February 19.

Kenny said STC was not pressing for the January 29 Friday night date as that is when the new Tabcorp Park Menangle harness racetrack is set to race under lights for the first time.

Friday night has always been reserved for Harold Park harness meetings and Harness Racing NSW has no plans to move away from the traditional home of Sydney harness racing for the rest of this financial year at least.

This will cause STC some problems with its plan to race at Canterbury on February 19 as this is also the night when the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship series begins at Harold Park.

STC could race on March 5 instead as the Inter Dominion Grand Final is scheduled that weekend for Menangle Park on Sunday, March 7.

Kenny said STC remained committed to night racing but conceded Thursday nights were a "hard sell".

"We feel there is more opportunity for people to attend Canterbury on a Friday night," he said. "With Moonee Valley and Singapore gallops also on Friday nights, I'm sure adding Canterbury to that mix will boost turnover."

Racing NSW's new benchmark handicapping and programming systems continue to provide a boost to Sydney race field sizes with STC having 99 entries across seven races for the first night meeting of the season at Canterbury tomorrow. Six of the seven races have the maximum 12 starters plus emergencies.

The Canterbury night meeting features the return of Gai Waterhouse's unbeaten mare Millennium Express.