HORSERACING
By LIAM DURKIN
GOOD things come to those who wait.
Moe Racing Club celebrated its members day in the best possible way, opening the doors of its new race day building.
Sunday’s meeting saw the much anticipated facility gets its first test drive, as more than 200 people clambered in to take in the sights and surrounds from the second storey.
Located just off the existing Turfside Function Centre, the new elevated race day building features two function spaces, and offers an enhanced race viewing experience, thanks to a panoramic view of the entire track.
Patrons were quick to take up the new and improved hospitality, with the general hustle and bustle of a day at the races taking place for the nine-card meeting.
Some high calibre jockey’s again made their way to Moe, including leading female rider Jamie Kah, who has been the world’s top-ranked female jockey since 2020.
Kah proved her worth immediately, riding two of the first three winners on a Moe track rated a Soft 6.
Kah rode Chinqui for Anthony and Sean Freeman to victory in the Race 1 Ladbrokes Racing Club Maiden Plate over 1017 metres, and Boardrider in the Race 3 Ladbrokes Blackbook Maiden Plate (1217m) for Clinton McDonald.
The Race 2 Ladbrokes Yard Comments Maiden Plate (1217m) was won by Rons Finest Choice for Cliff Brown, while the Race 4 Ladbrokes Bet Ticker Maiden Plate (1628m) saw Well Crafted for Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor salute.
Matthew Ellerton had a win in the Race 5 Ladbrokes Moe Cup 18th October 2024 Handicap (1628m) with Boys Night Out, in what was an ironic victory given the horse that ran second, Moon Yanco, was trained by Mitch Leek, son of 2022 Moe Cup winning trainer John Leek.
An impressive honour board adorns the wall of the new race day pavilion, detailing all past winners of the Moe Cup.
Michael Kent enjoyed a consecutive training double, winning the Race 6 Ladbrokes Same Race Multi 0-58 Handicap (2088m) and the Race 7 Ladbroke It! 0-58 Handicap (2447m) with Dancinginthedark and High Society Girl.
Shanghai Venture won the Race 8 Ladbrokes Easy Form 0-58 Handicap (1117m) for Brian McGrath, while Suppose I Do rounded out the meeting, winning the Race 9 Ladbrokes Communities 0-58 Handicap (1117m) for John Allen.
As good as the racing was, the meeting really belonged to the members, who were given the first look at the new race day facility on the day designated for them.
The racing experience has not only been enhanced for the members. The previous downstairs members area is now open to the general public, meaning all race goers can now enjoy meetings from the comfort of indoors.
Directly beneath the members area sits the revamped jockey change rooms, meaning recent upgrades have been truly accommodating for all user groups.
While the members upgrade experienced some delays, and has not been ‘officially’ opened (pending some last minute décor), Moe Racing Club Chairman, Mike Vanderfeen felt it was important to at least have the facility available to members for the day designated to them.
“We actually had to get it open because it’s members day,” Vanderfeen said.
“We think it’s going very well, we’re convinced that because they’ve now seen what they had got, which is comfortable facilities in the 21st century, we’ll actually get more people here which was the objective (of upgrading the rooms).
“The beauty of it is whether you are inside or outside you can see the entire track, it is just one of the best viewing areas of a country track you could get.”
The facility is not solely for the use of Moe Racing Club, with the function space open for things such as wedding receptions and birthdays.
“This will be so popular, we’ve already got bookings before it opened, we expect this will be utilised a lot more, which is great for the whole of the Latrobe Valley,” Vanderfeen said.
“It promotes the town, community, which is what we are all about.
“It’s an absolute credit to the builder and to all the sub trades. When you are renovating a 60-year-old building, you find lots of issues going forward, but the beauty of this… there was slight delays but it was on cost, it was built within budget.”
The state government contributed $1 million from its Victorian Racing Industry Fund to support the project, while Moe Racing Club put up almost $2 million itself and Racing Victoria $300,000.
This year’s Moe Cup is shaping as the beginning of a new era, with the new members room and function space expected to be absolutely buzzing by the time the October 18 meeting rolls around.
The club itself has quickly turned attention to its next project, and is seeking to upgrade the Hillside Stand.
