Star Exhibit winning the Perth Cup on New Year's Eve 2016 (Photo: Western Racepix)
The distances of two of Western Australia’s oldest thoroughbred races, the TABtouch Perth Cup and the Kirin Megumi-WA Oaks, will remain at 2,400 metres following today’s inaugural meeting of the Western Australian Pattern Committee (WAPC) at Perth Racing’s Lee-Steere House premises.
Representatives of Perth Racing, Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA), Thoroughbred Breeders Western Australia, the Western Australian Provincial Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Western Australian Racehorse Owners Association and the Western Australian Racehorse Trainers Association attended today’s meeting to review the submissions of industry stakeholders.
Perth Racing commissioned RWWA to commence consultation with industry stakeholders regarding the TABtouch-Perth Cup distance, specifically reverting to 3,200m nine years after Cats Fun won its most recent edition run over two miles. RWWA also used the one-month consultation period to canvas opinions about the Kirin Megumi-WA Oaks trip and the autumn’s major fillies races.
“The TABtouch-Perth Cup is Western Australia’s most iconic thoroughbred race so, naturally, there’s been considerable public interest in Perth Racing, through RWWA, asking the industry for its views about the event’s distance,” said Professor John Yovich AM, Managing Director of Perth Racing.
“Perth Racing’s position throughout the consultation process was that there had to be widespread industry support for the TABtouch-Perth Cup to revert to 3,200m. That level of support wasn’t there and that’s why the WAPC, on which Perth Racing sits, resolved to keep the race at 2,400m.
“Similarly, the WAPC felt there was insufficient support to warrant any amendments to the fillies program for the coming season, although the distances of the Kirin Megumi-WA Oaks and its supporting races in the autumn months are something it will review on an ongoing basis.
“One thing that will change, however, is the date of the TABtouch-Perth Cup, with the $500,000 Group Two race reverting to its traditional home of New Year’s Day. There’ll be no better place to be on Monday 1 January 2018 than Ascot Racecourse watching the 132nd TABtouch-Perth Cup.”