The work that goes on to keep The Pinnacles at the top of Aussie racing

Perth Racing CEO James Oldring admits that his only complaint of the third renewal of The Pinnacles race series, a five-day carnival at Ascot Racecourse between November 16 and December 14, has been that a Western Australian did not win any of the three Group 1 features on offer.

Port Lockroy (Better Than Ready) won the Railway S. for Sydney trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, Overpass (Vancouver) saluted for a second consecutive time in the Winterbottom S. for fellow Sydney conditioner Bjorn Baker, and top Victorian trainer Ciaron Maher oversaw Light Infantry Man’s (Fr) (Fast Company {Ire}) victory in Saturday’s Northerly S. – all at the elite level and worth $1.5 million each.

“It’s 3-0 to the interstaters – probably not the scoreline we wanted to see. But hey, it happens,” Oldring told The Thoroughbred Report.

“The very best trainers and jockeys have come over to Perth, and it’s so good for us to have the likes of Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald here, Ciaron Maher, Chris Waller and Bjorn Baker – those are the names that you really want.

“And it’s great to see that the horses have travelled and run well. The vast majority of them have performed right up to their peak levels, if not beyond.

“So that’s really pleasing for us. And the feedback we’ve had from trainers and jockeys, particularly around the state of the track, has been great.”

Gallery: The winners of the three Group 1s during The Pinnacles carnival, images courtesy of Western Racepix

While there’s no doubt a Western Australian horse winning a Group 1 race during this year’s The Pinnacles would’ve been a massive shot in the arm for the local industry, Oldring takes great pride in some of Australia’s best stables flying across the continent and succeeding at the peak of the WA racing tree.

“It (looking after the interstate stable teams) is something we’ve worked very, very hard on the past three years. And we’re really working to make sure that people know when they come to Ascot, they’re very unlikely to get a Soft surface here at this time of year,” Oldring said.

“They know they’re going to get something that is fair, even and safe, and well-managed with plenty of grass.

“That’s what we’ve delivered, so the track team needs a huge pat on the back for that.”

No stone unturned to host stars

Oldring said he receives no shortage of support when it comes to the demanding job of hosting stable staff from interstate.

But to have top interstate trainers compete in The Pinnacles is crucial for its sustainability and continued success moving forward.

Oldring says it is imperative The Pinnacles remains a sough-after Australian carnival on the racing calendar, and not just one for the best Western Australian stables.

“We provide them (interstate teams) with return airfares, look after their ground transport costs from the airport to the stables and help them arrange stabling with some of the local trainers, whether they want to be metro-based or out in the country a little bit,” he said.

“We just listen to what they want for their horses because they’re all different. And we help with the cost of sending staff over.

“The kicker for us is if they do win prizemoney, we’ll deduct some of it to cover some of the costs for what we put up.

“But if they don’t win prizemoney, then it’s a free swing at running in our big races.

“That’s really important. We set up from our very first rebrand of The Pinnacles a few years back with the ambition that this has to be an Australian racing carnival, and not a Western Australian carnival.

“That was what it had become through COVID, which was nobody’s fault. But with those travel restrictions now gone, we have to see representation from the very best in Australia for us to be taken seriously as a racing carnival.”

Oldring said the jubilant reactions from Archibald, Baker and the connections of the Maher stable after their Group 1 triumphs in this year’s The Pinnacles showed just how much winning at the elite level in Perth at this time of year meant to them.

“It’s a pleasure to have them over here. It’s good to have people who are excited to be here, and it’s really great to see how much winning a Group 1 over here still means to even the big trainers,” he said.

“You look at the reactions from Rob Archibald when Port Lockroy won the Railway, from Bjorn and all the team with him when Overpass won his second Winterbottom.

“They’re Group 1s and they mean a lot.

“An owner of the Northerly winner, Light Infantry Man, Jack Pakis, has the most amazing back story.

“I had never met Jack, but he came over and he was very emotional. He’d been involved training and owning horses up to Group 2 level.

“But he’d never had a Group 1, and it meant the world to him.”

Interstate participation key to carnival’s continued growth

While Oldring is delighted with the current amount of interstate horses who fly west for The Pinnacles, he would love to accommodate even more in the coming years.

“I think the interstate involvement is key. We charter a 737 plane, and there are 24 spaces on it,” he said.

“So you’d love to see that get fuller. It’s great to get 10-12 very good horses over here, but you’d love a few more.

“One of the challenges for us is ‘Can we get two flights?’ That’s because at the moment, all horses have to come over the week before the Railway.

“And that’s a long lead-in for some of them if you’re running in the Gold Rush for instance this coming weekend, you’re over here a full month.

“We’ve tried very hard to work with Racing WA to structure the carnival so that most horses who come over would at least have an option for two bites at the cherry.”

Oldring overheard some mixed views from the Winterbottom S.-winning combination of Baker and jockey Josh Parr while they discussed whether or not they wanted to stay in Perth for the remainder of The Pinnacles.

While it is understandable that not everyone would want to stay in Perth for an extended period of time, this is something Oldring continues to work hard on.

Ideally, every interstate competitor would remain in the WA capital for more than just one race meeting.

“It was very interesting being a fly on the wall listening to Bjorn Baker and (jockey) Josh Parr immediately after the Winterbottom about whether or not they might stay,” he said.

“One was open to it, and the other was adamant not to. So I think that interstate participation is really key.”

Crowds see The Pinnacles as an epic day out at the races

One thing not in doubt is how much the crowds have embraced The Pinnacles.

“The other thing for us is the crowds. We’ve built some really good numbers, particularly this year in terms of attendance,” Oldring said.

“We’ve seen some race days that have been 30 or 40 per cent up year-on-year, and there’s been a really fantastic vibe on course.

“There’s been a really young racegoer base as well. And I hope that’s reflective of the effort we’ve put in not only with our marketing, but also with our facilities.

“We have created venues on course that are designed to appeal to the early-20s to 30-year-olds, who don’t necessarily want a traditional racing offering. We’re beginning to see that pay the dividends. We’d love to build more on that.”

The popularity of The Pinnacles concept will be put to the test when the Railway weekend will coincide with the first Ashes cricket Test next year.

But Oldring, a proud Englishman who has spearheaded a massive amount of growth in just 2.5 years as Perth Racing's CEO, remains confident of drawing a big crowd.

“Railway weekend will also be first Ashes Test weekend, so you can look at that as a challenge,” he said.

“Or you can look at it as an opportunity. And there will inevitably be people who’ll say ‘Nah, I’m going to go to the cricket’. But cricket is five days, well maybe, at the moment. And the Railway is one day.

“What an amazing sporting weekend to come over here and do cricket Friday, Railway Saturday, cricket Sunday. That’d be a dream sporting weekend for me, depending on how the Poms go.”

TV deal brings new eyeballs

Along with increasing financial support from the WA Government, Oldring said thoroughbred racing in Western Australia was ready to go to a new level following the announcement of the multi-year broadcast partnership between Racing WA and the Seven Network back in September.

It has meant every thoroughbred meeting staged in Western Australia has been broadcast live and free on the Seven Network’s digital streaming platform, 7plus.

“I think the media rights deal with Channel Seven has been a really big thing for us,” Oldring said.

“It’s still very early days as to how that plays out, but right now WA Racing has gone from being one of the harder states to find on free-to-air television, or to be visible, to being the most freely available.

“It’s on every platform right now, which is absolutely perfect for what we want in terms of racing profile."

The good feeling is mutual, with Seven Network's Commercial Director of Sport, Renee Quirk, saying she was thrilled with the agreement when it was struck, emphasising the fact that Racing WA hosts meetings from Wednesday through to Sunday.

“And the support we’ve had from Channel Seven to put us on 7two following directly on from the east-coast offering is huge for us,” Oldring said.

“We’re genuinely primetime TV going into the news at 5pm in Perth. I didn’t think that would be possible when I first started here, so that’s a huge step for us.”

Development projects planned

Oldring said he was excited about the plans he had in store for both the Ascot and Belmont venues.

“We’ve just submitted a development application for 430 on-course stables at Ascot, and we’ve submitted a structure plan for some of the other land holdings we have around Ascot racecourse,” he said.

“So it’s a mixture of commercial and residential development because we’re just looking to diversify the club’s revenue streams.”

Oldring added that Belmont was “in need of TLC in terms of the grandstand facilities”, but said its location gave it a massive opportunity to continue attracting big crowds, particularly during The Pinnacles.

“Perth Racing’s other racecourse, Belmont – I don’t think it’s any secret, but it’s in need of a lot of TLC in terms of the grandstand facilities,” he said. “The track itself is pretty good. So we’re working with the state government on that and looking at the opportunities to open up the infield there.

“It’s not groundbreaking. Plenty of other tracks are doing exactly the same. But it’s the most amazingly-well located racecourse. It’s right opposite Optus Stadium and it’s in the entertainment precinct of Perth, really. So the opportunity for Belmont is huge.”

Oldring said the financial opportunities for Belmont didn’t just lie in attracting big crowds for big race days.

“We’re putting a tunnel underneath the track. So you’re looking at a complete refit of the facilities in the grandstand and diversifying some of the offerings as well – we’re trying to make it a seven-day-week venue,” he said.

“And we're looking at a tourism and entertainment offering in the infield.

“There are a few options on the table at the moment. The one that’s probably been spoken about most is Topgolf.

“There’s a facility on the Gold Coast already, but Topgolf would definitely be an opportunity for us to engage with state government, tourism and build something that draws more and more people to our site.

“I think that’s key. There’s a multi-billion-dollar development going on around the outside of the course from where the club sold land 12 years ago.

“And this would just complement all of that.”