The first of four race days in the 2024 Melbourne Cup Carnival begins at Flemington on Saturday, and few will be more keen than the Victorian Racing Club’s (VRC) new CEO.

Kylie Rogers, the former AFL executive who took the role as chief executive of the VRC in September, embarks on her first carnival since taking the job.

Saturday’s Victoria Derby Day begins the Melbourne Cup Carnival, which is followed by Melbourne Cup Day on Tuesday, Oaks Day on Thursday, and Stakes Day the following Saturday. 

Rogers steps into the role at a time when there have been questions raised around the prominence of gambling and Racing NSW turning Sydney into a spring-time destination.

But for this week, Rogers told ABC Sport she wants to learn from her first Melbourne Cup Carnival.

“I’m 60 days in, so I am completely energised. I know and love what the Melbourne Cup Carnival has to offer. I just can’t wait to be the CEO and lead this great organisation,” she said.

“We’re going to welcome over 260,000 people to the park and I know they are going to have a brilliant time. So I am going to watch, and learn, and listen, and enjoy.”

Melbourne has been the epicentre of racing in spring for decades, with the Melbourne Cup Carnival the stand-out week. 

But the emergence of The Everest, a 1,200-metre sprint race at Randwick in Sydney, has drawn the attention of the public north in recent years. 

The race, spearheaded by Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys, has become the world’s richest on turf.

Rogers said she believed Melbourne and Sydney could coexist as spring-time racing destinations, but she warned that cannibalising each other would benefit no-one.

“I watched [The Everest] with interest … and I look forward to going next year. Hats off to what Peter [V’landys] has been doing. It’s fantastic for racing in Australia,” Rogers said.

“What Melbourne Cup Carnival has is tradition. We’re 164 years old and we want to celebrate that. No-one can take that away from us.

“So I think the two can work hand in glove, there’s an offering for all and it’s good for racing as a whole.

“We don’t want to see cannibalisation, I don’t think that’s fair for the patron. Hopefully, we can find a way where we can compete in a way where the horse and racing lover doesn’t miss out.”

The Melbourne Cup Carnival begins on Saturday with Derby Day, headlined by the Group 1 Victoria Derby. 

Melbourne Cup Day will be held on Tuesday, November 5.

The Melbourne Cup will be held on Tuesday at 3pm, AEDT.

Listen to the live call of the 2024 Melbourne Cup on ABC Radio, ABC Sport Digital and the ABC Listen App, with coverage from 2:30pm to 3:30pm AEDT on Tuesday, November 5.