The Everest 2023: Plan for racegoers to line Randwick infield as officials eye record 50,000 crowd

A Kentucky Derby-style plan for excess racegoers to line the inside of the track would allow The Everest to be run in front of 50,000 people in coming years, smashing the modern-day Royal Randwick crowd record.

Just days out from the seventh running of the world’s richest turf race, Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club have had advanced discussions about opening up the infield to punters, potentially as soon as next year.

The demand for tickets will mean The Everest is run in front of a crowd expected to reach 45,000 on Saturday, the maximum allowed under licensing restrictions, despite Australians going to the polls for the Voice referendum.

However, after watching the Kentucky Derby, the United States’ most successful race, which crams punters into the middle of Churchill Downs, Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys and Australian Turf Club chairman Peter McGauran want to increase capacity for The Everest.

“We want it, but we didn’t want to rush it this year,” McGauran said. “We’ve had a good look at the Kentucky experience and there’s definitely scope for it because it’s relaxed. You can go in your sneakers, jeans and a shirt. It’s less expensive.

“Even if we run at a loss, but bring in 4000 or 5000 who wouldn’t otherwise come to the races, then it’s a worthwhile exercise in crowd development. We’ll work on it and I think it’s more likely than not we’ll have an infield crowd in time. It’s all doable, and we would love to have it.”

Royal Randwick’s unique set-up will pose added problems the Kentucky Derby doesn’t have, notably a string of training tracks and a car park located on the inside of the course proper.

The ATC also has a 150-metre long LED screen used for advertisements that runs on the inside of the straight, meaning an elevated structure would need to be built to allow crowds to see the races from the infield.