by Roy Aspinall
AS A new Victorian racing year commences in August, the Melbourne Racing Club is offering free admission for all Wednesday meetings at Sportingbet Park, Sandown.
With 36 meetings to be run at Sportingbet Park, Sandown in the 2014/15 season, 26 of them will offer free admission including the first race meeting in a busy year at Sportingbet Park, Sandown to be staged on Wednesday 6 August.
Sportingbet Park, Sandown will be extra busy in the new season with Caulfield undergoing renovation following the Caulfield Cup Carnival and racing planned to resume there in February.
With Sportingbet Park Sandown to pick up several of the meetings, the new racing season features 36 meetings at Sportingbet Park, Sandown, including eight feature race days. Meetings will be evenly spread throughout the year with some months staging up to three or four meetings.
The major feature date will be Sandown Guineas Day on Saturday, November 15, 2014 featuring the Sandown Guineas, Zipping Classic, Eclipse Stakes and Sandown Cup, at the conclusion of the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
In 2010, the new Sandown Cup was introduced over 3200 metres and the race becomes a qualifying event for the following year’s Melbourne Cup. In time the Sandown Cup is sure to become a major event in its own right.
For the locals there is the popular Greater Dandenong Race Day at Sportingbet Park, on Saturday, February 7, 2015.
The Australian Hurdle and Australian Steeplechase will be run on Saturday, May 30, 2015 and next June will mark the 134th running of the two premier jumping events – two of the oldest events on the Victorian racing calendar. The day is also the only Saturday metropolitan jumps meeting on the Victorian calendar.
On Sunday, July 12, 2015 the best jumpers in the land will line up on one of the biggest days of cross country racing in Australia, Grand National Hurdle Day.
Other feature days are Boxing Day, Australia Day and Easter Monday.
During the 2014/15 racing season there will be five Saturday meetings, two Sundays, two Mondays and one Friday at Sportingbet Park, Sandown, along with the 26 Wednesday meetings.
Due to the fact that Sportingbet Park, Sandown is a dual-circuit racecourse, the track is capable of handling a huge workload.
The full schedule of races is available on the Dandenong Journal website www.dandenong.starcommunity.com.au.
Sportingbet Park Sandown Race Dates
SEASON – 2014/15
Wednesday August 6
Wednesday August 20
Wednesday August 27
Wednesday September 3
Saturday September 27 – Grand Final Day
Saturday November 15 – Zipping Classic Day, Sandown Guineas, Eclipse Stakes and Sandown Cup Day
Wednesday November 19
Saturday December 6 – Doveton Stakes Day
Wednesday December 10
Friday December 26 – Boxing Day
Wednesday January 7, 2015
Wednesday January 14, 2015
Monday January 26 2015 – Australia Day
Wednesday February 4, 2015
Saturday February 7, 2015 – Greater Dandenong Race Day / W. J. Adams Stakes
Wednesday February 18, 2015
Wednesday February 25, 2015
Wednesday March 4, 2015
Wednesday March 18, 2015
Wednesday March 25, 2015
Wednesday April 1, 2015
Monday April 6, 2015 – Easter Monday
Wednesday April 15, 2015
Wednesday April 22, 2015
Wednesday April 29, 2015
Wednesday May 13, 2015
Wednesday May 20, 2015
Saturday May 30 2015 – Australian Hurdle and Australian Steeplechase Day
Wednesday June 3, 2015
Wednesday June 10, 2015
Wednesday June 17, 2015
Wednesday June 24, 2015
Wednesday July 1, 2015
Sunday July 12, 2015 – Grand National Hurdle Day
Wednesday July 22, 2015
Sunday July 26, 2015 – Grand National Steeple Day
