A merger between the Cranbourne Turf Club and the Pakenham Racing Club will be known as Southside Racing.
The unveiling of the name comes with Racing Victoria confirmation the new club will move out of a country racing jurisdiction.
It is expected Southside Racing will at some stage become Melbourne’s fourth metropolitan club with a capacity to run 60 meetings a year.
Southside Racing will work with Racing Victoria on funding, operational and programming models.
“Southside's going to be a powerhouse club in Melbourne. It's come out of Country Racing. It's a powerhouse club in its own right,” RV chief executive Andrew Jones said.
“It'll create tremendous benefits for members, for fans, for owners, trainers, and for sponsors and commercial partners.
“We're already seeing a huge level of interest in the combined club. We're investing in the merger between the two clubs to create the super club.”
Experience the bright side #southside@racing @RacingVictoria pic.twitter.com/1yhyC8uheP
— Pakenham Racing Club (@PakenhamRacing) March 1, 2024
Cranbourne and Pakenham members voted for a united body during separate annual general meetings in December.
Cranbourne chief executive Neil Bainbridge is the club’s inaugural boss and Sean Clarkson will lead a 10-strong committee as chairman.
The merged club will be home to 1500 horses in work at its Cranbourne and Pakenham training centres.