Saturday night’s Sportsbet Melbourne Cup at Sandown Park has been declared a resounding success, producing Victorian greyhound racing’s third highest turnover race of all time and a strong and enthusiastic on-course crowd. 

Wagering turnover on the race – won by Jason Thompson’s Explicit – was just shy of $1.6 million, eclipsing every race ever run in Victoria barring the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Melbourne Cup. 

The strong wagering figures coincide with terrific attendances at both the Sportsbet Topgun and Sportsbet Melbourne Cup nights, two of the pinnacle events of Victoria’s Dream Chasers Festival, the world’s richest greyhound racing series. 

Total turnover on Saturday night’s Sandown Park meeting was $8.9m, up nearly 29 per cent on the $6.9 million wagered in 2023, and only 6.5 per cent shy of the Cup night record of $9.5m set in 2022. 

Melbourne Cup heats night at Sandown Park also produced solid numbers, with turnover of $7.3 million for the entire race meeting, up 17.5 per cent on the $6.2 million wagered in 2023. More than $7.2 million was also wagered on Topgun night which kicked off the Festival on 9 November. 

Cumulatively, over the five feature race meetings held this spring – Silver Bullet night, Topgun night, Shoot Out night, Cup heats and Melbourne Cup night – $33.4m has been wagered, up 7.5 per cent on last year. 

The 2024 Dream Chasers festival culminates with The Phoenix at The Meadows on Saturday 21 December, the last of four big race meetings broadcast live on free-to-air racing channel Racing.com. 

“To record the third highest turnover race of all time and the sixth highest Victorian turnover meeting of all time is a positive sign that interest and engagement in Victorian greyhound racing is high following a particularly soft 2023 festival,” GRV’s chief executive officer Stuart Laing said. 

“The positive mainstream media attention greyhound racing has been receiving, along with the ability to showcase the best of Victorian greyhound racing live on Racing.com, is part of the reason why engagement with the sport continues to grow. 

“The crowd and atmosphere at Saturday night’s Sportsbet Melbourne Cup was one of the best at Cup night in years and follows a particularly good attendance at The Meadows for Topgun night. 

“On the track, we’ve had some star-studded fields, underlined by the quality of the eight Cup heats and the depth and evenness of the Cup final field. 

“All our attention now goes towards making sure the fourth edition of The Phoenix, both on course and as part of the free-to-air broadcast, is the best edition yet. 

“In its short history, the world’s richest greyhound race, carrying total prizemoney of $1.65 million, continues to gain momentum and interest from outside of greyhound racing, which is terrific for bringing new people and followers to the sport.”