Police and a south-west Victorian racing club have been left high and dry after 60 slabs of beer were stolen over the Anzac Day long weekend.
The Warrnambool Criminal Investigation Unit is investigating after three shipping containers at the Warrnambool Racing Club were broken into, leading to the loss of more than 1,400 cans.
Police say the offenders likely entered the Grafton Road site between 5pm on Saturday and 9:30am on Tuesday.
The crime comes days before the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival, the club's biggest event of the year.
Police say they believe someone in the community may know who committed the crime.
"This is clearly a targeted theft and the offenders knew the club would be well stocked ahead of a large race weekend," Detective Senior Constable Richard Hughes said.
"We would appeal for anyone who may have seen something suspicious or heard anything potentially valuable to this investigation to contact Crime Stoppers."
Warrnambool Racing Club chief executive Tom O'Conner said the theft, discovered on Tuesday after the long weekend, was disappointing.
He said CCTV camera at the track had not captured any helpful footage.
"It's a wealth of activity at the moment, preparing for next week, and we've had contractors, sub-contractors, track and admin staff working pretty tirelessly through the month," he said.
