New date for abandoned Cranbourne Cup

There will be two Cranbourne Cups next year with a new date found for the meeting blown away by high winds.

Last month's Cup program was called off after one race for the safety of horses and riders.

The Cranbourne Cup and the Apache Cat Classic will now be run in the evening on March 3.

Racing Victoria and the Cranbourne Turf Club have agreed on a change of distance for both races.

The Cup has been shortened from 2025m to 1600m while the Classic has increased from 1000m to 1200m.

The two races will revert to their original distances in the spring of 2017.

CTC chief executive, Neil Bainbridge, said the club was excited at the opportunity to run the rescheduled Cranbourne Cup on a Friday night.

"Whilst the club was devastated with the abandonment of the Cup in the spring, the rescheduled Cup provides the club with an opportunity to run our premier race under lights for the first time," Bainbridge said.