‘We need to assess holiday data’

Horsham mayor Pam Clarke wants a clearer picture of the impact a Horsham Cup holiday last Friday had on businesses across the municipality.

She is also keen to see whether a Destination Horsham promotion helped in offsetting any negative results.

Cr Clarke said it was important to get an accurate gauge and understanding of the implications to work towards finding ‘balance’.

“I’m very interested in getting data from the likes of Business Horsham, Horsham Plaza and from talking first hand with businesses,” she said.

“The council had a split vote to change the holiday from Melbourne Cup Day to Horsham Cup Day, which meant, like many issues, there were mixed feelings.

“So it is important we get an accurate gauge about what it has meant.”

Horsham and District Racing Club, forced by Victorian Racing Club scheduling to run its cup meeting on a Friday for the past four years, lobbied for and won a three-year switch of a Melbourne Cup public holiday for its meeting.

The move prompted concerns from several businesses that considered Friday a key trading day.

It also led to the five-day Destination Horsham events program across the municipality, designed to both capitalise on the occasion and help businesses offset any Friday trading losses.

Cr Clarke stressed that Horsham Cup and the racing industry in general was socially and economically important for Horsham.

“There is no doubting that. But we need to understand what a shift like this had meant, what it might mean in the future and what people want,” she said.

“We need to make sure we ultimately have a balanced approach that meets the needs of our racing community and the business community.

“We’re just going to have to watch how it unfolds in the future and hope that everyone can benefit from it in the long term.”

The Horsham Cup attracted significant investment this year with the State Government providing $47,000 for an overall $105,000 promotion and support package.

The racing industry in the Wimmera generates more than $37-million annually for the Victorian economy and helps support more than 360 full-time-equivalent jobs.

Horsham Cup Day is part of Country Racing Victoria’s Spring Racing Campaign, which covers 51 weekend and feature race meetings across regional Victoria.