Victoria Racing boss cops backlash over plans to drop strict dress code
Andrew Jones is urging horse racing to get with the times and do away with dress codes for punters.
If Victoria Racing CEO Andrew Jones has his way, racegoers will soon have the option of wearing Hugo Boss or K-Mart to the track. The VR boss is keen to strip back the strict dress codes which preclude members from entering members' areas unless wearing a suit and tie for men or top-end attire for women.
Jones believes loosening dress regulations is one way racing can help attract a younger audience after figures showed the industry is losing out to other sports betting and e-sport options among those below 25. "Why do we need a dress code? Why don’t we let people wear what they want, they will figure it out," Jones told the audience at this week's Asian Racing Conference in Melbourne.
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"No one rings up a restaurant and asks about the dress code - they just wear what they want. We need to look at things like dress codes and admission prices."
Racing enthusiasts and officials aren't exactly enamoured with Jones' proposal. The Australian Turf Club, which oversees racing at Rosehill and Randwick, imposes a strict dress code on members at major race days.
Among the items on the banned list are joggers, sandals, thongs, dilapidated footwear, scuffs, gumboots or slippers, shoes without socks, jeans, shorts or untailored slacks, torn or ripped clothing, open neck shirts or shirts with no collar, tracksuits, caps, beanies, pullovers and football jerseys. The ATC's chief financial officer Matt Galanos makes no apologies for enforcing such a policy.
"Dressing up for the races is a point of difference between racing and other sports," he told the Image Group International website. "People like to dress for the races and see it as an occasion or a day out.
"From our perspective, we get a lot of feedback from patrons about the fact they like going to the trouble of dressing up for the races, and they want the tradition to be maintained. It’s a long-established tradition that part of the fabric of racing and a day at the races involves a dress code and people dressing up for the day."
Fashions in the field expert responds to dress code dramas
Angela Menz is a fashions-in-the-field expert, keen racegoer and editor of the On Track On Trend website. She believes the current regulations work well.
"I think it's about striking a balance. At Mooney Valley they have a strict dress code for their feature race days but on Friday nights in summer, it’s a little bit more relaxed," she told Yahoo Sport Australia.
"But I don’t agree with totally getting rid of a dress code. I think there is something about those big days that it is a special occasion and I like the fashion and lot of people are into the fashion.
"I think part of the appeal of going to the races is that sense of occasion and that opportunity to dress up. But if that' not for you, General Admission areas are a lot more relaxed for those who want a more casual day out."
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