KEY POINTS:
Yes, but wait for the next couple of years.
That's pretty much what the board of the Auckland Racing Club is entitled to come up with after a massively successful three-day Derby-Auckland Cup carnival at Ellerslie.
Three years ago came the gamble when the ARC declared it was moving the Auckland Cup and Derby off their traditional Boxing Day and January 1 dates to March.
The doubters didn't know if it would work, but said it wouldn't anyway.
The club didn't know if it would work either, but suspected it might.
It was right.
Almost every indicator that the business of racing was growing at Ellerslie was evident over last week's three-day carnival, the second since the big move. But it's really only getting started.
"This was always going to be a five-year commitment," said Auckland Racing Club chief executive Chris Weaver.
"And we always felt the second year would be the toughest.
"We reasoned most people would come along the first year to see how it went, but there was always a risk with the second time around."
If the second year of the new carnival will eventually prove to be the worst, then there is a lot to look forward to.
Compared with the inaugural March carnival last year, last week saw:
* Sponsorship grow by 36 per cent.
* More beverages consumed on course on Auckland Cup day on the Wednesday than during the entire three days last year - and that despite ordinary weather.
* Stakes paid at $2.745 million compared with $2.130 million.
* An 8.6 per cent growth of on-course turnover.
Outside of all of those figures, what is exciting is that the Auckland Racing Club now has two major summer/autumn carnivals instead of one from which to launch its promotions.
Previously, when the Christmas carnival was over there was just one major day - New Zealand Stakes (now Starcraft Stakes) day to span the gap to Easter.
When Easter fell late that was a long gap without any significant racing at New Zealand's premier racetrack in the country's biggest city.
Suddenly Aucklanders' focus is of much greater length.
The ARC has to be congratulated on its foresight to go way outside the norm in its promotional reach.
The summer champagne twilight meets with a top band may have been relatively expensive to stage considering betting is meagre by the younger set, but it is obviously one of the flash points that have directly led to a dramatic lowering of the average age of the Ellerslie racegoer at other meetings.
That has never been more noticeable than over the three days last week.
Clearly whatever the twilight meetings cost to stage, it is promotional money well spent.
Good as all the above is, imagine the platform when the ARC grows the six races it has identified as crucial support races for the group one features. It is well and good to transfer the Derby and Cup to March and add the group one Ford Diamond Stakes and Starcraft Stakes, but you cannot promote a 30-race, three-day carnival on four races alone.
"We're excited about six races that we're looking to find group-rating for," says Weaver. "One example is the Ellerslie Oaks. Last year the placegetters were Falsetto, Gaze and Mirkola Lass and this year Shira and Bonaichi created the quinella.
"It's a $50,000 race and we want to grow the race to group status.
"Then there is the 3-year-old sprint Magic Tryst won on Saturday. We don't have a sprint for 3-year-olds in the autumn outside the Windsor Park Stakes at Te Rapa later.
"We want that race to be a very important one, which the Darley Plate run on the first day is.
"It's $100,000 and the only weight-for-age 1200m sprint in the country.
"It will eventually be a very exciting carnival from top to bottom."
Then there is the matter of the SkyCity Auckland Cup and Mercedes Derby heading from their present $700,000 to $1 million.
"It's definitely something we're looking at," said Weaver.
"Whether the Derby or the cup get there first, we'll have to wait and see.
"Currently we're in talks with the Victoria Racing Club about getting automatic entry into the Melbourne Cup for the Auckland Cup winner."
That and a $1 million stake would make the cup a serious race for Australians to target.
If there was a negative for the club, but one completely out of its control, it was the quarter of a million dollars downturn on betting for the Auckland Cup on March 7.
"Before the cup we were tracking through on betting ahead of where we were last year, then the rain came at the wrong time and it undermined betting on the cup."
