Melbourne Cup Carnival ticket sales are up 16 per cent overall, with Oaks Day up 41 per cent. <\/p>\n
Traditional drawcards, Derby and Cup days, naturally remain \u201cvery strong\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re ramping up really well for the carnival, our forward sales look really positive,\u201d Rogers said going into her third Melbourne Cup Carnival at the helm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re ambitious enough to want 100,000 people every day, it\u2019s not necessarily realistic and we live and die by the weather sometimes, but we are very confident with our strategy and our racing and entertainment offerings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2022 Shinn raring to go \u2018full throttle\u2019 in Flemington comeback<\/a><\/p>\n Flemington hosted 285,675 racegoers last year across the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival, the biggest crowd since 303,587 attended in 2018.<\/p>\n More than 60,000 braved heavy rain and the coldest November day in more than a century to watch global megastar Fisher perform after the last on Champions Day.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like minus two all day with sideways rain,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n \u2018Let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves but if we get good weather we\u2019re in the 70s, early 80s, if everything goes our way and that is our job to promote the racing schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n Rogers confirmed the VRC is exploring a closing ceremony-style Fisher curtain-raiser to celebrate the Cup Carnival leading jockeys and trainers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an unbelievable crescendo and this year we want to use that moment and live stage to celebrate the great jockeys and trainers \u2026 as a bit of a closing ceremony,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing is safe and world-class racing, with the best horses and jockeys in our races.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Time flies as Gollan eyes another Aurie\u2019s Star win<\/a><\/p>\n The VRC has dedicated its season-opening meeting on Saturday to the Phar Lap centenary celebrations.<\/p>\n The New Zealand-bred Australian sporting legend, born on October 4, 1926, won the 1930 Melbourne Cup.<\/p>\n A special Phar Lap exhibition has been installed at Flemington, inside Gate 1, near the iconic Makybe Diva statue, including rare memorabilia.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the new name for our opening raceday every season now, Phar Lap is a legend and certainly deserves that,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think (this memorabilia has) been shown together ever before, racing colours worn by (jockeys) Jim Pike and Billy Elliot, there\u2019s a horse float believed to have carried Phar Lap before his 1930 Melbourne Cup win and lots of other items.\u201d<\/p>\n The VRC has ticked off on a Makybe Diva exhibition set to join existing Black Caviar, Bart Cummings and Harry White collections.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re really trying to create a destination for people to learn about the history of our races and the champions of our sport,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to do more and more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n The annual Victorian Jockeys\u2019 Association blessing of the track, wishing al riders a safe passage in the new season, will be held before the Group 3 Aurie\u2019s Star Handicap (1200m) on Saturday at Flemington.<\/p>\n Gilbert Gardiner is a sports reporter for the Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Victoria Racing Club chief executive Kylie Rogers has welcomed strong Melbourne Cup Carnival interest ahead of the 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<\/a>Gilbert Gardiner<\/a>Sports reporter<\/p>\n