By David Nagel
Cranbourne Turf Club (CTC) has been recharging its batteries through winter and is about to embark on an exciting journey towards the feature event on its racing calendar in late November.
Thursday 17 August marks 100 days until the $500,000 Ladbrokes Cranbourne Cup will be run over the mile journey of 1600-metres on Saturday 25 November.
The Ladbrokes Cranbourne Cup will again hold the status of a Saturday standalone metropolitan meeting, meaning the focus of Spring racing will be on Cranbourne.
The quality of the fields, both in the Cup and in the support races, has been excellent in recent years and the CTC is looking forward to another quality day of racing on track, and outstanding entertainment off it.
Cup Day at Cranbourne is one of the biggest social events in the City of Casey and the CTC is looking forward to making this year’s Cup the biggest edition yet.
Interest in Cranbourne Cup Day has already been extremely high and hospitality sales are well ahead of last year.
The CTC has also been busy – in collaboration with the Cranbourne Harness Racing Club, Racing Victoria, Harness Racing Victoria and the State Government – in playing a key role in the development of new horse stalls at the track.
The horse stalls are an exciting addition to the facilities at Cranbourne, and will be officially opened by Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards this Friday 18 August.
Horse welfare and amenities for trainers, strappers and staff, as well as owners and patrons, was at the forefront of the design and the contributing parties are delighted with how the project has come together.
The CTC will also return to its core business of racing this weekend, with an eight-race card set down for Sunday 20 August.
With the Spring Carnival just around the corner, some of the big names of the Cranbourne training ranks will be in attendance as they begin to fine-tune their preparations for Spring glory.
Cranbourne trainers had a huge Spring carnival last year, highlighted by the win of Gold Trip in the Melbourne Cup.
Local trainers Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace would love to add a second loving-cup to the mantlepiece of their training headquarters.
The Cranbourne Training Centre is an important part of club operation and continues to play a pivotal role in the broader racing industry. The centre produced over 1000 winners in the 2022/23 season including 12 Group-1 winners.
The Cranbourne training ranks will be bolstered shortly, with the CTC looking forward to welcoming Te Akau Racing to its community.
Te Akau is a successful multinational racing entity and the CTC is proud that it has chosen Cranbourne as the base for its Australian operation.
