It's been at the height of the agenda for everyone at the Echuca Racing Club, especially its general manager, since crowds were banned as part of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It's been probably the most disappointing thing from our perspective,” Armstrong said.
“We've been able to continue racing, and we have been able to avoid a lot of the financial impacts. But we miss having the members and spectators on the course.
“There is something special about being on the track with other spectators, going to the bookmaker and betting live, then going and collecting.
“There is a fantastic social aspect to racing, and while we have thankfully been able to continue to run, when you walk in on race day and don't see the spectators, it doesn't feel right.”
Now, the time has finally come.
In a major step forward for the state, Victorians will be allowed to return to the race tracks from this week.
And the Echuca Racing Club will be one of the first venues in the state to see punters back on course.
Armstrong says the club has been putting extensive work into place over recent months to make sure it was ready for this moment.
“We will be working hard to make sure we can deliver the experience people are used to, within the protocols,” he said.
“We want to make it work in a way that, while everyone is following the rules, it doesn't feel like things are different. We want them to still enjoy the atmosphere of racing.
“We will make sure the processes are going on around them, but almost in the background so they can have a safe but also enjoyable day at the races.”
While fans will now be allowed back at the track, Armstrong said there was still a lot to be worked through.
“It’s still early in the process,” he said.
“We don’t fully know how many people are going to be allowed at the track as yet, and we will continue to work with the industry in the next few days to get all the details correct.
“But we will make sure we can accommodate as many of our fans as possible, and we hope to have that clear by next week in time for people to start booking for events, including for this Wednesday.”
● ECHUCA will host five meetings in the second half of the 2020-21 season after Racing Victoria (RV) confirmed the rest of its schedule.
Meetings have been pencilled in for March 7 (Echuca Cup day), April 19, May 10, May 29 and July 3.
RV will trial a race-free week over the next two years at the end of the season.
“We are pleased to be able to provide our clubs and racing fans with some certainty around race dates for the remainder of the 2020-21 racing season, as we largely look to mirror that offered in the previous season,” RV executive general manager Greg Carpenter said.“Whilst racing has been able to continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it has affected our community race meetings across the picnic and non-TAB circuit.“With a better understanding of the impacts of the pandemic, along with the great progress that Victoria has made over recent months, we are now in a position to confirm our schedule of meetings for January to July 2021.
“On behalf of RV, I would like to thank our race clubs and key stakeholders who have worked tirelessly for the industry throughout an extraordinary year and acknowledge their input into the finalisation of the 2020-21 race dates.”
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