The 2020 Kyneton Cup Day race meeting takes place next Wednesday, November 4, but the usual traditional spring carnival atmosphere will be missing.
“Unfortunately, after waiting for as long as possible to see if the current government restrictions on crowds would ease, the club has decided that there will be no public spectators, including members, allowed on course,” Kyneton and Hanging Rock Racing Club’s chief executive Jon Dight announced late last week.
“The club is bitterly disappointed that crowds will not be able to attend this year’s event, but after careful consideration thought it was the appropriate decision to make for Kyneton and the wider community,” he said.
The time-honoured Kyneton Cup is the district race club’s feature event, and along with many other racing clubs, falls victim to the COVID-19 virus impact that has been going on for months. Horse racing is one of the few sports to continue, under very restrictive protocols.
Attendances at the Kyneton course next Wednesday will be restricted to licensed industry participants, essential staff and regional owners with a horse running on the day.
Owners will be required to be in a restricted area of the racecourse, and on-course for a short period of time, in line with Racing Victoria biosecurity measures.
Kyneton Cup Day has long been sandwiched between the Melbourne Cup and Oaks Day at Flemington.
There is a full day’s public holiday for Kyneton, Malmsbury, Trentham, Trentham East, Tylden, Carlsruhe and Cadella for Kyneton Cup Day.
The racing club encourages everyone to enjoy the day virtually and in a COVID-safe manner by supporting local hospitality venues and watching the races on free-to-air Racing.com.
The club also thanks its valued sponsors for their continued support.
HANGING ROCK RACE MEETINGS
The racing club does not know what restrictions will be in place for its two iconic race days (New Year’s Day and Australia Day) run at Hanging Rock.
Jon Dight said a decision on these event days would not be known for anther four weeks, when more information was expected to be available around social gatherings and crowd protocols.
