The local racing season kicks off next week when the Bairnsdale Racing Club hosts its opening meeting on Tuesday, the first of seven fixtures scheduled for the 2026/2027 campaign.
Gates will open at noon for the opening fixture, with 2026/27 club memberships now on sale.
It is a altered program for the club this season, highlighted by the absence of its historic Melbourne Cup Day fixture in November.
The club has staged a meeting on Melbourne Cup Day for as long as locals can remember, regularly attracting crowds of more than 4000 during its peak, though attendance figures have softened in recent years.
Club officials fought hard to retain the high-profile public holiday date.
However, Racing Victoria has reassigned 12 meetings across the state from weekends and public holidays to early-week slots after tracks failed to meet specific key performance indicators.
Bairnsdale’s full 2026/27 schedule features dates on Sunday, September 20 (Lakes Entrance Cup), Monday, October 12, Saturday, January 9, Sunday, March 21 (Bairnsdale Cup), Monday, June 7, and Monday, July 12.
The addition of the Saturday feature in January is seen as a strategic secondary date following the loss of the November fixture.
Despite local scheduling changes, thoroughbred racing across the state continues to generate significant economic activity, contributing more than $5.5 billion to the Victorian economy and supporting over 33,450 full-time equivalent jobs.
Victorian race clubs currently boast a combined 78,000 members, with overall attendances topping 1.6 million across the state last season.
