See The Champ For Free

Tue 31 Jan

In a goodwill gesture the Melbourne Racing Club will throw open the gates on February 11 allowing Black Caviar's legion of fans to witness the glamour mare's attempt at a first Group 1 victory on home soil. The meeting, which heralds the start of the 2012 Melbourne Festival of Racing, will see Black Caviar step up to 1400 metres for the first time in the Sportingbet CF Orr Stakes as she chases her 18th victory from as many appearances. Speaking with Shane Anderson on Racing Ahead this morning, MRC Media Manager Jake Norton said the decision had been in the pipeline. "It's been a discussion around the club for sometime," Norton said. "It is also something we are looking at considering as her campaign rolls on through the autumn." Norton added that Black Caviar's profile had made the decision an easy one for the club. "it's all about throwing the gates open for the punter to allow them to come and see the world's best in the flesh," Norton said. "She really is putting racing back on the map from a spectator sport perspective and we wanted to capitalise on that. "Pending the success of the meeting, offering free entry to a number of our race days across all three tracks could become an ongoing trend." Norton added.