The prize-money puts us to shame - but is everything really so rosy in Australian racing?
Lewis Porteous takes a look at the country's racing industry as the landscape starts to change
They are the sort of figures British racing can only dream about. The state of Victoria in Australia will offer more than A$315 million (£162m) in prize-money and bonuses next season at an average of more than A$71,700 per race. That represents an A$140m, or 80 per cent, increase on what was offered in 2015 and is just the second time the figure has surpassed A$300m.
Prize-money across the whole of Australia will top more than A$800m (£420m) this season, yet as we near the start of the biggest month of racing in the nation building up to the Melbourne Cup on November 7, there are signs that not everything in the sport is as rosy as it might appear at first glance.
The numbers revealed by Racing Victoria (RV) for the 2023-24 season might be staggering compared to what is on offer in Britain, but the headline total actually represents a year-on-year reduction of A$2.5m as a result of "declining industry revenue".
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inSpecial reports
Last updated
Copy- Skyscraper betting and soaring turnover: Japan's mind-boggling racing experience and the unlikely hero who sparked the boom
- It’s the number-one complaint from punters – so just why are some struggling to get paid out by bookmakers?
- A laid-back Equinox, a heaving toy shop and a bizarre mobile racing game: inside the phenomenon that is Japanese racing
- 'The status quo just isn't sustainable' - does British racing need a revolution in how it is run?
- 'We have constipation at the centre of British racing' - is the sport's governance structure fit for purpose?
- Skyscraper betting and soaring turnover: Japan's mind-boggling racing experience and the unlikely hero who sparked the boom
- It’s the number-one complaint from punters – so just why are some struggling to get paid out by bookmakers?
- A laid-back Equinox, a heaving toy shop and a bizarre mobile racing game: inside the phenomenon that is Japanese racing
- 'The status quo just isn't sustainable' - does British racing need a revolution in how it is run?
- 'We have constipation at the centre of British racing' - is the sport's governance structure fit for purpose?