Caulfield

1 As I write this, on the eve of Ned’s Winter Race Day, I am aware that anything said today may be very different tomorrow. We are all conscious of how quickly things are changing, especially for us here in Victoria, but we hope that you, as do we, find some comfort in the fact that racing; this great, formidable community of human and animal and spirit, continues on. As restrictions and recommendations continue to change, we are working closely with Racing Victoria and the government to ensure the best possible care is taken of those on course. This means that owners will no longer be allowed on course on race days, and we will continue with the strict distancing policies among our participants. We continue with our plans for spring, knowing that we need to be flexible as things change, but hopeful that we will have spectators at our racecourses in some capacity. We will continue to update Members and the public as restrictions ease and changes occur at our racecourses and plans for spring are finalised. Thank you to all of our Members for so patiently remaining at home and keeping each other safe. The Club is pleased to announce that our premier race features for spring will maintain their 2019 prizemoney. This includes the G1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m), which saw a doubling of prizemoney last year, remaining at $1m, the stallion-making G1 $2m Neds Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on Saturday 10 October and the pinnacle of our annual calendar, the $5m Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Saturday 17 October. This announcement from Racing Victoria comes after prizemoney was reduced for all Victorian metro and country races from 6 April as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the industry. While six of our spring races did see a reduction in prizemoney, we are pleased that our features have maintained their value, and are hopeful that this will see the top competitors grace our turf in October. Thank you to all our members who have supported the club by renewing their membership despite the restrictions that are currently in force. It is very much appreciated by the Committee and management. Finally, it is with great sadness that we remember our friend and colleague, Gary Farrell, who passed away last month. As Food & Beverage Manager at Mornington Racecourse, Gary was an extremely kind and caring person, generous with his time and had dedicated his working life to the hospitality industry. Incredibly respected by all who worked with him at Mornington, across Australia and internationally, Gary will be very dearly missed. Our thoughts are with Gary’s wife Renae and his children Maci, Kiki and Saxon at this very difficult time. Peter Le Grand Chairman Melbourne Racing Club A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN