Bunbury lands Saturday racing coup

The Bunbury Turf Club will be thrust into Australia’s racing limelight this season when it hosts a standalone Saturday meeting.

In a major departure from tradition Bunbury has been given a prime Saturday timeslot usually reserved for metropolitan racedays on January 4.

Local officials are hoping to cash in on the coup and are gunning for stronger fields, higher crowds on course and increased television exposure.

BTC marketing manager Brody Russell said the club wanted to make the most of the date.

“We’ve asked for no maidens so we can attract good fields for the day,” he said.

“Saturday is the major racing day Australia-wide so it will be good to showcase the club on a national scale.

“We will look at trying to shuffle some money around to increase the stakes so it’s above what it would normally be at other race meetings.”

The day will be a highlight on the club’s 2012-13 calendar.

The Bunbury Cup will be run on Thursday, March 13 while the Bunbury Stakes will be run on March 9.

Standalone Saturdays have proved successful for provincial clubs in the eastern States, where metropolitan fields have attracted big crowds to regional tracks.

In May, more than 12,000 people flocked to western Sydney’s Hawkesbury Race Club, which has held a Saturday meeting since 2006.

More than 5000 people were on course for Bendigo’s Golden Mile raceday in 2012, which has been held on a Saturday for the past two years.

But RWWA Thoroughbreds racing manager David Hunter said Bunbury’s meeting would not have metropolitan quality fields or stakes.

“This meeting is not designed to cater for the same horses,” he said.

“But in saying that we’re hoping Bunbury would attract a better crowd than they normally would on the (Standalone) Saturday.”

Russell said the Bunbury club was keen to see the date become an annual event.

“There’s no reason why it can’t happen,” he said.

“If there are dates Perth Racing make available and feel a provincial club might benefit from, we’d take the opportunity with both hands.

Hunter said that idea was not outside the realm of possibility.

“Given the successes of the concept interstate there’s certainly merit in it,” he said.

“But it would require a change of thinking in the boardroom.

“The policy at the moment is that Saturday racing is at Ascot.”

Bunbury will host 20 meetings next season — one more than last summer.