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Showing posts from September, 2017

Defining what's in "The Best Interest"

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I recently heard that a race loving fan was denied entry to Saturday's G1 Memsie Stakes racing meeting at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday 2 September.  Why?  Because he had a camera and lens with a focal length of 200m and these items are no longer allowed to be brought in to a racecourse by a member of the general public.  After I read this comment I walked away from my computer in disgust. My first point is that racing is not an industry where patrons are bashing the door down to get in the gates.  Winx's last dramatic win in Sydney only drew a crowd of 9,000 odd fans to Royal Randwick.  Racing is not cricket.  It's not the footy.  It's not soccer or the NRL.  Apples are not oranges and oranges will never be apples. Let's pause for a moment to consider the ramifications on the introduction of such a policy.  It's been well documented that the sport has for many years struggling with declining crowds and participation rates.  We struggle to attract en