FOR those in the east, Perth racing has for decades been out of sight, out of mind; a racing outpost hanging off the edge of the desert.
But big things are happening in the west. That geographical gap between east and west is shrinking through innovation and smart marketing.
Bigger things are brewing, too.
The soon to be completed Perth Stadium, right on the fringe of the city, is to become part of a boutique sports precinct much like the tennis, rugby and AFL precinct on the edge of Melbourne’s CBD.
Belmont Park, the winter workhorse racetrack and long-time poor cousin of nearby Ascot, is to be reinvented as Perth’s only night racing venue, tied into corresponding meetings in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Europe.
Belmont Park is just a furlong from Perth Stadium, which is to replace Subiaco as Perth’s major AFL ground.
Ascot has emerged from decades of isolation.
The Masters Series — three meets across three consecutive Saturdays, each with a $1 million feature — has spectacularly reignited eastern state interest.
Five eastern staters contested Saturday’s Winterbottom Stakes and a similar number will contest the $1 million Kingston Town Stakes next Saturday.
David Hayes and Chris Waller will have runners.
Darren Weir and Team Hawkes didn’t have a runner on Saturday but were in town doing reconnaissance.
The Winterbottom was won by Sydney-trained Takedown, who now heads to Hong Kong for the international meeting on December 11.
The re-emergence of Perth will either help or hinder flagging Australian involvement in Hong Kong.
Former Victoria Racing Club chief executive Julian Sullivan, whose 12 month contract for Perth Racing ends in February, said an enticing trail could emerge if Takedown runs well at Sha Tin.
“Melbourne to Perth to Hong Kong — why not?’’ Sullivan said. “If Takedown runs well there others might consider Perth as the perfect parlay to Hong Kong.’’
The splitting of the Perth carnival into three feature Saturdays has sparked not just dramatic increases in interstate involvement, but also local crowds.
The Railway crowd two Saturdays back rose from 11,000 to 14,000 and the Winterbottom meet more than doubled on the previous year.
Sometimes there’s no real rhyme or reason to a spark in interest in dogs and greyhounds, which always seem to be on the edge of acceptance.
Over a decade ago, out of nowhere, a night at the dogs was the trendiest thing to do in Dublin.
There’s a bit more strategy in the rise of Perth racing, which was heavily marketed in the east and has benefited from big stakes increases.
Fred Kersley is a good barometer for Perth racing. The legendary trainer has trained through a few eras.
“I was talking to Fred the other day,’’ Sullivan said. “He says for the first time in years there’s a massive vibe over here for racing. We’ve now got to bottle it.’’