WARRNAMBOOL'S May Racing Carnival may have its biggest change in more than a century next year.
Warrnambool Racing Club is in early discussions with Racing Victoria about moving the $300,000 Warrnambool Cup from the Thursday to the Wednesday.
It is exploring switching Wednesday's feature, the Galleywood Hurdle, to the Thursday to create a jumps bonanza on the final day.
Both parties are tight-lipped about the discussions.
Neither party has agreed on the switch with the idea part of a discussion paper to be discussed with the wider industry. Both declined to comment. Any decision would need to made before December so Racing Victoria could finalise its schedule.
Switching the cup to Wednesday would place it on the same program as the carnival's other major flat race, the Wangoom Handicap.
The Galleywood Hurdle and Grand Annual Steeplechase would then be held on the Thursday.
The switch is designed to end perceptions the cup, the premier flat event, is overshadowed by the Grand Annual, which is held the race or two races earlier.
It would also mean the cup was run when the track was in better condition, for example being race 16 instead of 29 out of 30 races across the three days.
The cup has been run the same day as the annual for the past 100 years, except 2020 when the carnival was cut to two days because of COVID-19.
That year the Galleywood and Annual were run on Tuesday and the cup and Wangoom on the final day.
MORE SPORT:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark https://www.standard.net.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines and newsletters
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
- Tap here to open our Google News page.
- Join our Courts and Crime Facebook group and our dedicated Sport Facebook group
- Subscribe
