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Thread: What's wrong with MELTON

  1. #51
    Senior Member Stallion Showgrounds is just really nice Showgrounds is just really nice
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    Been a fair bit of sinking the slipper into Cranbourne as a venue due to small fields recently. To put the boot on the other foot, try getting from east of Melbourne to Melton on a regular basis. I wrote Melton off as a place I would never visit (unless I really had to) from the time HRV scheduled its metro meetings on Friday nights. To be fair. I was already scaling down my involvement by then.

    Turn back the clock a few decades we had a similar situation of debate about Keysborough although that project never got off the ground. It should have, in hindsight, because today is much closer to the centre of Melbourne's population than it was when Graeme Cochran had the TCB buy it in the early 70's. Melton, to me, is just another country track. As a racing venue, HRV could have saved a fortune by upgrading Geelong. As a club, Geelong has under achieved given its population for years. HRV had an advisory committee giving industry advice about the development of Melton. What a pity nobody listened to the advice; we may have ended up with a facility more resembling Menangle instead of Geelong. And from a spectators point of view, how does Melton stack-up against Moonee Valley for food, drink and comfort?

  2. #52
    Super Moderator Stallion Messenger will become famous soon enough Messenger's Avatar
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    Maybe our lot/future is not in a true metro track but a ring of outer Melbourne tracks - say Geelong, Melton, Yarra Valley?, Cranbourne who along with Ballarat, Bendigo and Maryborough all have fortnightly if not weekly meets
    per un PUGNO di DOLLARI

  3. #53
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year Dot will become famous soon enough
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    The rate of Melbournes growth Kev means that affordable land (if it existed) for horsekeeping is rapidly being consumed by development in all of those outer Melbourne locations Kev meaning the racing population will increasingly need to be shipped in from locations in the north and west of the state at an increasing cost to owners in money and trainers in time and ensueing safe work issues as accessing those venues becomes increasingly difficult as traffic density increases, all for what in many instances will not be more then a handful of people attending for live racing as they too will experience traffic congestion and of course have the option of viewing and betting via other means then being on course.

    I suggest that Melton is not a true metropolitan venue, and as has been pointed out is near inaccessible from the eastern suburbs, and now that venue attendance records are being kept whilst adequate for most meetings is too small to hold sufficient people and distant from the centre of the city to achieve the sort of returns in attendences that spending the amount of money in marketing as was spent on the ID warrants. The good old days may be gone but for our biggest days if we are going to justify spending hundred of thousands of dollars on marketing we need a venue that is readily accessible to the majority of Melbournes population and can hold 10 to 20 thousand people comfortably, otherwise we are spending too much on marketing for too small a return in attendance and potential flow on involvement in the industry. With Melbournes population heading towards 5 million Melton can hold comfortably not much more then 5000, or .1% of Melbournes population.

    We need to address these issues with larger scale thinking and a longer term plan. Those outer Melbourne venues should be Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton which are more accessible to the raceing population in the future, both human and equine, resulting in a reduction in stress for both attending racemeetings, and horse welfare will become an ever increasing concern in the future, and those venues upgraded for both attendees and more particularly for the production of a high class visual product for broadcast and a deal done to also brand these venues as “Tabcorp Park” which would no longer denote a metropolitan located venue ( the concept “metropolitan” will be particularly out of date when ratings replace the old class assessments and a Metro assessment for a horse no longer exists) but the premium venues for harness racing in the state, and particularly for wagering.

    It maybe the impossible dream but I also think it imperative that if there is to be ongoing harness racing in metropolitan Melbourne then the powers that be have to be convinced of the benefits of including a harness track in the Moonee Valley redevelopment and our biggest feature meetings at the very least be worked in with the gallops calendar and held there.

    None of this will happen overnight but if it does happen then relinquishing the Melton venue should be part of the plan. Whilst there is talk of a Melton training centre I don’t see how this could effectively work out. Unless the training centre is full costs recovery it would in effect be subsidising a small percentage of the states trainers against the majority who maintain their own facilities, and if it is full cost recovery would owners be willing to pay the increased cost of having their horse trained at Melton versus at a private regional facility.

  4. #54
    Super Moderator Stallion Messenger will become famous soon enough Messenger's Avatar
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    Twitter rumours that the commitment to Melton will soon be 110% as the possibility of selling some of the land to fund a mega training facility is being investigated
    per un PUGNO di DOLLARI

  5. #55
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year gutwagon will become famous soon enough gutwagon's Avatar
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    Due to having a runner in the VSS series I visited Melton 3 times recently. I used to attend MV trots around 20 times per year, I only go to Melton when I have a runner or a friend has one. It's not the location or the traffic issues that keep me away on Saturday nights , it's the facilities and lack of decent viewing areas. You just can't sit down inside anywhere and see other races or tote screens . The very few areas where this is possible are always full.
    The first 2 nights I arrived just before my race, talked to the trainer, watched the race then left. Last night I stayed for a while and took note of the many design and operational issues. A few things that keep me and many I know away could easily be fixed.


    The only place that you can watch a replay of your race or hear any race inside is in the stable area. Why can't you hear any races or see a replay in the sports bar or TAB area? They have big screens but the football audio drowns out any race audio.
    They seem to have way too many security staff, they are extremely unprofessionally dressed and groomed which makes people feel uncomfortable. I am a security officer myself and know I would never turn up to work looking and behaving like they do. I also know that poorly trained unprofessional guards cause many issues with patrons . You would think The US President was attending the track with the amount of guards on course !

    As soon as you go outside you have to battle through a mob of smokers outside every door. I can't believe you can still smoke on course !
    The huge kitchen area is right in a prime position and should have been down the other end of the dinning area towards the city. This would allow that whole area to be opened up for tables and chairs, tote screens, more screens for watching and hearing interstate and on course races. Keep the people that want to watch football/other sports away from people that are there for punting on trots.

    They obviously need an undercover grandstand and you should be able to walk to the stables without getting rained on.
    I know I sound like a whinging old fart but they wonder why people don't go there ! I could go on and on with problems at that place but it's time for my medication, Bye !


    Don't get me started on those bloody speed humps on the way in !!!!
    Last edited by gutwagon; 07-07-2019 at 03:40 PM.
    Don't die wondering !

  6. #56
    Super Moderator Stallion Messenger will become famous soon enough Messenger's Avatar
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    It is not whinging Rick, it is the type of feedback HRV need - I just hope they are reading/listening
    per un PUGNO di DOLLARI

  7. #57
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year Dot will become famous soon enough
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    10 years since Melton opened, first race 5th July 2009.........

  8. #58
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year gutwagon will become famous soon enough gutwagon's Avatar
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    Have you been to Melton Dot ? Tell us what you thought of the place.
    Don't die wondering !

  9. #59
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year Dot will become famous soon enough
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    Rick, IMO Melton was an insufficiently planned hastily cobbled together from limited available resources solution to harness racing’s likely eviction from Moonee Valley. It is not a metropolitan venue, it was originally a semi rural venue which held high numbers of harness trainers which is now becoming increasingly residential with subsequent decline in trainer population as they sell out to developers and land bankers. I don’t believe Melton is a venue that can even sustain much less grow the industry going forward, and the industry should plan for its obsolescence and realisation as a potential cash asset in the future. Rather then further divide the industry and supplement the declining trainer population by diverting scarce financial resources to a training centre to provide runners for Melton, as is or altered, the industry should work with the Melton Council and state government to transition the Melton facilities to sporting anemities much more suited to evergrowing residential population in the Melton region, and move the former “metro” racing side of the industry to upgraded and specifically designed facilities at Ballarat,Bendigo and Shepparton to provide the best on course experience for those who do attend, modern facilities for participants and horses, and the best possible visual racing experience for punters and fans who most frequently chose to view and bet on racing using modern technology from the comfort of their homes, not just in Melbourne but all across Australia and hopefully beyond.

    Make the mainstay of the industry in regional areas, connect better with the rural populations for this is where your future trainers and breeders will come from, not from a surburban Melton back yard. Melbournians travel to the country to ski, to surf, to escape the city sprawl, why shouldnt going to the races in the country succeed as part of this “getaway” culture? These kinds of steps are not unprecedented. The Italians bulldozed their premier track in Rome and turned it into a soccer stadium nearly 20 years ago and moved the their ( legal) harness racing industry to Milan. We have to think bigger and long term solutions, not put new bandaids over the old bandaid solution.





    Quote Originally Posted by Dot View Post
    The rate of Melbournes growth Kev means that affordable land (if it existed) for horsekeeping is rapidly being consumed by development in all of those outer Melbourne locations Kev meaning the racing population will increasingly need to be shipped in from locations in the north and west of the state at an increasing cost to owners in money and trainers in time and ensueing safe work issues as accessing those venues becomes increasingly difficult as traffic density increases, all for what in many instances will not be more then a handful of people attending for live racing as they too will experience traffic congestion and of course have the option of viewing and betting via other means then being on course.

    I suggest that Melton is not a true metropolitan venue, and as has been pointed out is near inaccessible from the eastern suburbs, and now that venue attendance records are being kept whilst adequate for most meetings is too small to hold sufficient people and distant from the centre of the city to achieve the sort of returns in attendences that spending the amount of money in marketing as was spent on the ID warrants. The good old days may be gone but for our biggest days if we are going to justify spending hundred of thousands of dollars on marketing we need a venue that is readily accessible to the majority of Melbournes population and can hold 10 to 20 thousand people comfortably, otherwise we are spending too much on marketing for too small a return in attendance and potential flow on involvement in the industry. With Melbournes population heading towards 5 million Melton can hold comfortably not much more then 5000, or .1% of Melbournes population.

    We need to address these issues with larger scale thinking and a longer term plan. Those outer Melbourne venues should be Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton which are more accessible to the raceing population in the future, both human and equine, resulting in a reduction in stress for both attending racemeetings, and horse welfare will become an ever increasing concern in the future, and those venues upgraded for both attendees and more particularly for the production of a high class visual product for broadcast and a deal done to also brand these venues as “Tabcorp Park” which would no longer denote a metropolitan located venue ( the concept “metropolitan” will be particularly out of date when ratings replace the old class assessments and a Metro assessment for a horse no longer exists) but the premium venues for harness racing in the state, and particularly for wagering.

    It maybe the impossible dream but I also think it imperative that if there is to be ongoing harness racing in metropolitan Melbourne then the powers that be have to be convinced of the benefits of including a harness track in the Moonee Valley redevelopment and our biggest feature meetings at the very least be worked in with the gallops calendar and held there.

    None of this will happen overnight but if it does happen then relinquishing the Melton venue should be part of the plan. Whilst there is talk of a Melton training centre I don’t see how this could effectively work out. Unless the training centre is full costs recovery it would in effect be subsidising a small percentage of the states trainers against the majority who maintain their own facilities, and if it is full cost recovery would owners be willing to pay the increased cost of having their horse trained at Melton versus at a private regional facility.

  10. #60
    Senior Member Horse Of The Year gutwagon will become famous soon enough gutwagon's Avatar
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    As it is now most country clubs have better setups than Melton, I would much rather watch a race on course at most of the country clubs.
    Don't die wondering !

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