HORSHAM Cup day will be a public holiday for the next three years.
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At a meeting on Monday, Horsham Rural City Council voted to reallocate the Melbourne Cup public holiday to Horsham Cup day for 2017, 2018 and 2019.
It came after council ran an online survey, asking residents on their opinion of the holiday.
This survey was open from March 30 to April 17 and attracted 535 responses – 29 per cent were from business owners and 74 per cent were people older than 30.
Almost 30 per cent of people voted for the holiday to be on Horsham Cup day, however the majority of votes, 36.8 per cent, were in favour of keeping the holiday on Melbourne Cup day.
About 20 per cent of people wanted the holiday to be during the Wimmera Machinery Field Days and 7.3 per cent of people voted for a Horsham Show public holiday.
Of business owners, 23.2 per cent preferred Melbourne Cup day, while 28.4 per cent support field days or Horsham Cup.
Cr David Grimble said the move provided a good opportunity to improve the city’s economy.
“It’s not just about the horse race, it’s about an opportunity to promote our city,” he said.
“This will create opportunities to highlight what Wimmera has to offer to a broader catchment.”
Cr Josh Koenig said since Horsham Cup day was moved from a Sunday to a Monday in 2014, attendance had dropped by 33 per cent.
“This is a concern,” he said.
“The public holiday gives us a chance to really sell Horsham – it’s a fantastic opportunity.
“The Horsham Cup is a category one race, meaning it will be the number one race on television that day.
“If done right, it could become a good family event, like it used to be on the Sunday.”
Cr Koenig said it was important to lock in the holiday for three years.
“We need to commit, in order to see the benefits,” he said.
However, Cr Mark Radford and mayor Pam Clarke voted against the move.
Cr Radford said the change would negatively affect retailers, forcing many to close on their busiest day of the week.
“Horsham businesses will be disadvantaged by this big decision,” he said.
Cr Clarke said many people from outside Horsham came to the city on Fridays to shop.
“They will turn up and we won’t be open,” she said.