RV releases racing schedule for 2017/18
Ten Monday-free race days have been confirmed for Victoria next year after the release of the race schedule for the 2017/18 season.
Racing Victoria will trial Monday-free race days for 10 weeks starting on January 15 with a meeting added on Wednesdays during that time.
One of the two Wednesday meetings in each of those 10 weeks will be a twilight fixture running from approximately 3.45pm until 8pm.
In total, Victoria will host 557 meetings during the season.
The Group One Turnbull Stakes meeting reverts to Saturday on October 7 having been run on a Sunday for the past two years.
The move coincides with the AFL returning its grand final to the last Saturday in September.
The Underwood Stakes meeting at Caulfield will be on the Sunday after the AFL grand final, on October 1, with the Group One Moir Stakes a night meeting at Moonee Valley on grand final eve.
Mornington will host the meeting on grand final day.
In order to give Flemington a bigger break after the Melbourne Cup week for track maintenance, two meetings have been removed from its December schedule.
Flemington will instead host the first metropolitan Saturday meeting of the season on August 5 and a midweek meeting in late September which will feature the new Victoria Derby and VRC Oaks Trials.