A floodwall built around Flemington Racecourse had "unintended consequences" for nearby residents during Victoria's flood emergency, the chief of Racing Victoria says.
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Residents have taken to social media to express concern the floodwall around the track in inner Melbourne diverted water into residential areas.
Homes and infrastructure were damaged when the Maribyrnong River burst on Friday however the racecourse remained in good condition.
Racing Victoria chief executive Andrew Jones said the Victorian Racing Club (VRC) was entitled to protect itself by building the wall in 2007.
"That's obviously had unintended consequences to neighbouring residents," Mr Jones told Nine's Today program.
"Obviously there's no intention of the VRC to cause harm.
"They (were) trying to protect the Spring Carnival and the Melbourne Cup Carnival which is a massively important part of Victorian life and the Victorian economy."
Flemington Racecourse was submerged during flooding in 1974.
Greens member for Melbourne Ellen Sandell said the racecourse is on a floodplain and should hold floodwater when needed.
"Instead, it's the only dry land for miles around, while people have lost their cars, some in nearby Maribyrnong have flooded homes and businesses and people were yesterday evacuating in rubber dinghies," she said in a post to Facebook.
"And it means areas around it - like peoples homes - are likely to be more affected by floods."
The full extent of the damage in inner Melbourne is yet to become clear as residents were only allowed back into their homes on Saturday.
Wheelie bins were seen stuck up trees and thick mud was spread across the area as the water subsided.
On Saturday Victoria SES chief officer operations Tim Wiebusch could not say whether the floodwall exacerbated flooding in residential areas.
"Whether that has contributed to some of the flooding is something probably that we would need to refer to Melbourne Water to talk through (how it) plays out hydrologically," he told reporters.
Mr Jones said many regional race meets had been interrupted but acknowledged washed out races were not likely to be a major concern for anyone impacted by flooding.
"We're really thinking of them and people who are trying to manage horses in difficult positions," he said.
Australian Associated Press
