Sport
13 October, 2022
Avoca Shire Turf Club operators left with no option but to cancel cup thanks to Victoria’s big wet
After two years of racing with no crowds, the Avoca Shire Turf Club was dealt a devastating blow, having to cancel this year’s edition of the Avoca Cup due to Victoria’s current downpours. In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the club...
After two years of racing with no crowds, the Avoca Shire Turf Club was dealt a devastating blow, having to cancel this year’s edition of the Avoca Cup due to Victoria’s current downpours.
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the club said “it is not expected that the track will be safe or suitable for racing”, while also taking into account flood warnings for nearby townships.
Club president Wayne Lawes said despite working through multiple scenarios, the weather ultimately meant there was no other option.
“The club have been working through several scenarios due to the forecast and six months of hard work, planning and volunteer hours have gone into delivering the Cup Day but unfortunately the weather is not favourable this year. With the expected rainfall our grounds and lawn areas just won’t be accessible for cars, buses and our camping area,” he said.
Club manager Kate Kirkpatrick added the club were willing to work with a revised date, but given the hectic spring racing carnival fixture, it was not possible, and will now look ahead to their next event in March, the Autumn Avoca Races.
“In consultation with the industry, in regards to the forecast rain and the weather last week, with the track potentially not being suitable to race, we’ve made the decision to abandon the Avoca Cup for this year,” she said.
“We were working with the industry for a potential date that was suitable for all parties, but with the complexities of the Spring Racing Carnival and the calendar, we decided we would look forward to the March races next year.”
With COVID ruling out crowds in both 2020 and 2021 due to lockdown restrictions, the cancellation of the Cup was another cruel blow to members of the community, with Kirkpatrick admitting there will be a “greatly felt” economic impact.
“We’ll look at some reporting and some analysis first, but before COVID, we would have expected five to six thousand people attend and stay in town, or bus in from Ballarat and surrounds, so the economic impact will be greatly felt for small business and accommodation providers,” she said.
The inability to cater for campers due to the adverse weather conditions played a part in cancelling the races prior to the rain event yesterday.
“We had 150 sites booked, but with all the rain last week, it’s just not safe with our grounds to have any more rain — we wouldn’t have been able to get vehicles in safely, so that was a contributing factor too. The impact of last week’s rain and drying-out time was just not on our side for Saturday,” she said.
The club will now focus on ensuring that their March raceday event goes ahead, planning a big day for those who are disappointed to miss out tomorrow.
“We’ll regroup, and start working towards March after the dust is settled. We’ll look forward to a big day ahead and we’ll look to get support from those who were hoping to attend on Saturday, as well as our members and sponsors,” Kirkpatrick said.
The Autumn Avoca Races is scheduled for Saturday, March 25, 2023.