The Victorian government has proposed lifting a ban on horse racing on Good Friday to open the door to regional racing clubs to benefit from Easter tourism.
In recent years, AFL, Rugby League and Basketball have launched Good Friday initiatives to support Good Friday Roll Call at the Royal Children’s Hospital to lift Victoria’s Good Friday races ban.
Horse racing is allowed in Victoria on Good Friday after a ban was lifted in Parliament on Tuesday.Recognition:Getty
“Victorian racing will be in line with regulations in other states and on par with competitions such as the AFL and local soccer leagues, the NRL and the NBL,” said Acting Race Secretary Jaala Pulford.
“Race codes have indicated that they plan to schedule meetings in regional areas that will boost tourism and add an extra dimension to the people planning the Easter break.”
Benalla, Sale, Echuca and Wangaratta are considered to be the host clubs for the opening festival of the Good Friday Thoroughbred Meeting, which will then switch between regional clubs in the following years. A Good Friday race meeting is currently not included in the 2021-22 season calendar.
“We are excited about the opportunity to create a special racing day that will make the land of Victoria a hotspot for racing fans on Good Friday and another incentive for vacationers to head to the land of Victoria over Easter,” said Giles Thompson, CEO from Racing Victoria.
“We would like this Racing Day to be a destination event for the country of Victoria, showcasing different areas of our state through an annual rotation to support the different country communities that sponsor racing all year round.
“Planning is underway for this exciting new race day in the country of Victoria, and it will improve quickly when the law goes through Parliament and approval is given for the race on Good Friday from 2022.”
Western Australia and Tasmania leave on Good Friday.
