Albany Cup moved back to Easter, regions two sprint features just a week apart

The Albany Cup will return to its traditional Easter timeslot this season after being held in February last year. The 2020-21 Great Southern season will start early next month but the major change will be to the $100,000 Albany Cup that will be run on April 4 2020. The region’s two premier sprint races, the Fitzpatrick Plate and what was known formally as Mungrup Stud Sprint, will be run just seven days apart. The Fitzpatrick Plate in Albany is set down for Sunday, January 10, while the Mt Barker sprint race will be held on the following Sunday, January 17. The Great Southern racing season starts on November 1 with Mt Barker set to hold the first meeting of the 20-fixture season. The local racing calendar will consist of the regular 20 meetings, with Albany Racing Club the venue for 14 and Mt Barker Turf Club allocated six race days. The Mt Barker Cup is set down for March 14, which will be the club’s final meeting of the season. The annual Anzac Day meeting falls on a Monday, the only meeting not to be run between Thursday and Sunday for the season. Ladies Day at ARC will be held on Sunday, February 14, which was the previous Albany Cup date. Boxing Day will fall on a Saturday this year, the sole Saturday fixture in the Great Southern. ARC general manager Mark Bayliss said it was exciting times for racing in the region. “The Albany Cup has been run in February for a couple of years and hasn’t really worked so we changed it back to its traditional date,” Bayliss said. “We want to make it a real family environment and family weekend that people can enjoy. “The track is in good shape and all days are nearly full with sponsors which is fantastic. “We are just looking forward to a really enjoyable year of racing down here.” MBTC was only able to hold two and half meeting last season due to persistent track problems but president Steve Carter was confident the club is ready for the upcoming season. “We are definitely looking forward to the season and putting on great entertainment for the racing lovers here,” Carter said. “We have done some work on the reticulation but it will be a long-term project. “We are planning to replace the whole system over three or four years. “The track is looking really good in the couple of inspections we have had and it has nice grass cover so we are excited for the first meeting.”