Wagering on Saturday night’s Sportsbet Victoria Cup card was up 15 per cent on last year, with its showcase race proving a punting powerhouse.
The elite Victoria Cup field, national free-to-air Channel 7 coverage, and Sportsbet partnership helped the Group 1 feature exceed last year’s turnover by 67 per cent, making it Victoria’s second-highest turnover harness race on recent record.
Harness Racing Victoria Chief Executive Officer Matt Isaacs said it was a fantastic and deserved result for a great night’s racing.
“It is extremely satisfying to see the terrific fan and punter engagement for a sensational night at Melton Entertainment Park,” Isaacs said.
“This is much-deserved reward for a hard-working industry that puts on an elite product, especially the talented participants, but also our partners, including at Channel 7 and Sportsbet, and the small, dedicated teams behind the scenes, including at HRV and Melton.
“The total card was Victoria’s sixth highest for turnover at a harness racing meeting on recent record, which shows incredible connection with a broad audience and bucks industry trends.”
The four-hour live coverage on Channel 7 peaked at more than 250,000 viewers, while more watched on HRV’s TrotsVision, tuned in to Sky Racing, or took in the extended coverage on RSN or SENTrack.
“Our champions deserve to be seen in their best light by the biggest audience, and I am extremely proud of the work by our small media team, which delivered an outstanding production with our broadcast partner Rainmaker,” Isaacs said.
“It was great to also see such a big and engaged crowd on track, with Melton Entertainment Park’s dining full, and many familiar and new faces taking in the five Group 1s on the lawn.”
The night also marks the start of Victoria’s spectacular season of harness racing, with the Vicbred Super Series to run throughout November, followed by December’s Breeders Crown, and then it’s on to the six-week Summer of Glory.
“There is so much to look forward to both at Melton and at our 27 venues across the state, where the hosts will welcome all into the harness racing community for an unforgettable summer.”
LISTEN > HRV CEO MATT ISAACS TALK VIC CUP WITH GARETH HALL:
WATCH > THE SPORTSBET VICTORIA CUP COVERAGE IN FULL
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VIEW > ALL THE SNAPS FROM A SPECIAL SPORTSBET VICTORIA CUP NIGHT @ MELTON
