Pakenham Cup moved to March, aims to boost on-course attendance

[Wandering Eyes]

Kissinger ridden by Damien Oliver wins the 2022 Pakenham Cup. (Scott Barbour/Racing Photos)

Racing Victoria, in collaboration with the Pakenham Racing Club (PRC) and Cranbourne Turf Club (CTC), has announced a notable change for next year’s Pakenham Cup (2500m).

Mark your calendars for the evening of March 15, 2024, as the Pakenham Cup is set to dazzle under the Friday night lights.

This move comes as part of a strategic decision to enhance the prominence of night racing at Pakenham and capitalise on the success of previous events.

Originally slated for a Thursday night on February 29, 2024, the Pakenham Cup underwent a schedule adjustment as part of the 2023–24 race dates. The decision to move it to a Friday evening in March stems from the recent successful merger between Pakenham Racing Club and Cranbourne Turf Club and aims to boost on-course attendance and community engagement.

The $300,000 Future Stars final, Australia’s richest maiden series, will now be the main event of the Pakenham meeting on February 29. Heats will take place over seven consecutive Thursday nights starting on January 11.

In light of the move from February to March for the Pakenham Cup, several programming adjustments have been implemented:

• The Cranbourne meeting on Friday, 15 March and Pakenham on Thursday, 14 March will switch;
• A $40,000 1400m maiden race will be added to the Pakenham program on Thursday, 29 February to maintain an eight race program;
• To assist with the progression of staying races during the Festival of Racing, the $200,000 Torney Night Cup (2500m) at Moonee Valley will move from Friday, February 16 to Friday, February 23; and
• To accommodate the Torney Night Cup shift, the $60,000 1600m maiden scheduled at The Valley on February 23 comes forward to February 16.

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