The Moonee Valley Racing Club, in consultation with Racing Victoria, have adjusted the race times for the Ladbrokes Friday Night Lights 2021/22 season at The Valley, which will begin on Friday 24 September, 2021 with the Group 1 Moir Stakes Night race meeting.
The last race of eight races will now be run at 9.45pm, brought forward from 10pm in the previous season. The first race will be run at 6.15pm.
After consultation with Racing Victoria (RV), the Australian Trainers’ Association (ATA) and the Victorian Jockeys Association (VJA), the MVRC took onboard feedback that participants would appreciate a slightly earlier finish time to allow those involved in race 8 at The Valley to be able to leave the track earlier ahead of Saturday morning stable work and raceday.
The MVRC had brought forward the last race from 10.15pm to 10pm before the racing season of 2016/17.
The Australian Turf Club (ATC) and Racing NSW (RNSW) have agreed to move their Canterbury night race times to the half hour slot to accommodate this change.
“The welfare of participants is always at the forefront of what we do and while it can be a balancing act to ensure we provide a premium experience for those on track, bringing the last race forward 15 minutes to 9.45pm will help those partaking in the last race to be able to leave the track earlier ahead of Saturday’s activities,” said Michael Browell, MVRC CEO.
“The MVRC provides the premium night racing product in Australia on a Friday night and we are competing against other sporting events and entertainment activities across Australia for share of wallet, so it was important that while we listened to feedback provided by participants, we can still provide an entertaining product for those on track or watching at home.
“We believe these new race times will ensure we maintain our strong wagering figures, with the Friday night race meetings the second highest wagering meeting of the week behind Saturday metropolitan meetings, as well as providing all those on course with a fantastic night out watching eight exciting races and enjoying all that we offer trackside,” said Browell.
The 2021/2022 Ladbrokes Friday Night Lights racing season will run from Friday 24 September 2021 through to Friday 25 March 2022, with three Group 1 feature races in the Moir Stakes, Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes and Keogh Homes William Reid Stakes to be run.