Friday, 22 June 2012: The much anticipated 2012/13 racing season will begin in a little over a month and there will be plenty to look forward to according to the Australian Turf Club.
The new racing year will begin with valuable prelude races to a raft of key Sydney spring race days before easing into the Schweppes Summer Carnival and Night Racing period. The usual crescendo, the BMW Sydney Carnival in autumn will be further celebrated in 2013 with the highly anticipated relaunch of Royal Randwick.
The Club is also pleased to announce its new Season Pass, unveil competitive ticketing prices for 2012/13 and confirm two days where it will open its doors with free entry to a Saturday race meeting.
New Season Race Dates
The full season's race dates are available online at www.theraces.com.au. There are a number of key program changes to highlight including:
- Stan Fox Stakes will be run on the Labour Day Long Weekend (29 Sept) at Rosehill Gardens. The program will include the Golden Pendant, run over 1400m in 2012.
- Epsom Super Saturday will be run at Randwick on the Saturday following the October Long Weekend (6 Oct).
ATC Chief Executive Darren Pearce said that with Royal Randwick undergoing redevelopment which would have limitations on crowd numbers, the Club elected to host the feature meeting of the long weekend at Rosehill Gardens.
“A long weekend race meeting at Rosehill Gardens gives us the capacity to cater for the crowds coming to Sydney for the NRL Grand Final and the location will work well for NRL fans staying in hotels in the Parramatta area as well as Homebush,” Mr Peace said.
“We'll be making special arrangements to transport racegoers to the track from hotels and precincts in the CBD, Parramatta and Homebush.”
The official metropolitan Melbourne Cup Day meeting will be staged at Rosehill Gardens, with the picnic meeting being switched to Royal Randwick.
“We've made this move as well to better cater for crowds,” Mr Pearce advised. “Our redevelopment at Randwick means the only general public area we could sell is the infield, with all grandstand-side spaces taken up with corporate hospitality and Members areas.
“Moving the TAB meeting to Rosehill allows us to operate a full betting ring and cater for a big crowd on the one day a year many people reserve for a trip to the races. Meanwhile, the picnic meeting at Randwick will offer a unique experience for the 10,000 people we can accommodate.”
The fixed dates for the BMW Sydney Carnival will remain in place for 2013, with Rosehill Guineas Day at Rosehill Gardens falling on Easter Saturday for the first time. Tooheys New Golden Slipper Day will follow on 6 April before the Carnival moves to Royal Randwick for three weeks commencing with David Jones Australian Derby Day on 13 April.
2012/13 Season Ticket Pricing
A general entry ticket to non-peak race meetings will remain the same price as the current season at $15.
General admission ticketing to key race dates is as follows:
Coolmore Classic Day: $20 (-$5)
Rosehill Guineas Day: $20 (-$5)
Tooheys New Golden Slipper Day: $50* ($10)
David Jones Australian Derby Day: $50* ($10)
BMW Doncaster Day: $50* ($10)
Schweppes Sydney Cup Day: $50* ($10)
* A Ticketek 'early bird rate' will apply for these days reducing these prices by $10 for racegoers who pre-purchase, taking the price back down to 2011/12 levels.
The popular Super Saver Pass will continue on most Saturday race days until December 2012.
At $30, the Super Saver Pass represents $70 in value and includes course entry, $10 food voucher, 2 standard drinks, a race book, a $5 TAB voucher, TAB Sportsbet pen and a bonus free ticket to a future race day.
Darren Pearce says: “The Super Saver has been a great success for us. We know that to grow race day attendance we need to offer value combined with better facilities. Our improvements to Rosehill and Randwick are providing a better experience for racegoers and value products like the Super Saver are drawing crowds back to the track.”
Free Entry Race Days
Two free race days have been scheduled for the new season – one to celebrate the horse's birthday at Canterbury Park (4 August) and the other, Australia Day at Warwick Farm.
“We toyed with some free entry days last season and we see them as just a part of our pricing and marketing mix,” Mr Pearce said. “It is good to get the dates we'll be offering free entry locked away a few months in advance so those tempted by free entry can plan their race day trip.”
The Royal Randwick in-field will remain in operation for the general public this spring, with a 20% reduction in ticket prices.
“With our rebuild underway we took a chance on using the in-field for the first time in 40 years in autumn and it proved successful. It also added great atmosphere to the races with crowds on both sides of the home straight,” Mr Pearce said.
“Capacity at Royal Randwick will again be limited on the grandstand side of the general public in spring, so the use of the TAB Sportsbet Paddock will give us the chance to host more racegoers.”
ATC Season Pass
The ATC has launched a $199 Season Pass, providing general entry to every race meeting of the year and an Off Peak Season Pass for $99, including general entry to non-carnival race meetings plus seven feature meetings during the year.
The two new season passes are aimed at regular racegoers who will receive a huge discount based on regular attendance. These passes are available directly from the Club and go on sale from 1 July.
“I've been keen to get an offer like this to our regular customers for a while, so I'm pleased we've got it to market in time for the new racing season,” Mr Pearce stated.
“It's a great way of ensuring our regular racegoers are rewarded for their loyalty.”
