All the glitz and glamour of the Scott Group of Companies Gold Cup will be shining bright this Friday as the annual event takes place at the Glenburnie Racecourse.
The Mount Gambier Racing Club’s much-anticipated annual event will feature entertainment, local food and wine, fashion and of course top quality racing.
The cup is valued at an eyewatering $70,000 with nearly $250,000 worth of prize money up for grabs on the day.
Fashions on the Field will offer prizes for Best Dressed Womenswear, Best Dressed Menswear and Duo’s categories.
There are options for everyone with uncatered marquees of 10 and 20 people, general admission, The Atrium catered marquee by Ray White, members and guests luncheon at the O’Connor and Graney Function Centre.
Mount Gambier Racing Club general manager Matthew Plumber said while ticket sales are going well, the general admission pre-sale tickets are not indicative of the crowd expected on the day.
“The tickets for the catered areas and the marquees have been really good so that’s a good sign there,” he said.
“Pre-sale tickets for general admission, which is the largest portion, very rarely do they show how many people are coming.
“Because there is no real capacity there is also no fear of missing out so people can make the decision on the day.
“It is highly unlikely you’re going to turn up on the day with your entry fee in your hand and be told ‘no we’re full’ so you get the luxury of checking out the weather and how you feel and then rolling along.
“Regardless of the pre-sale tickets in terms of general admission, we always get a pretty good crowd there.”
The uncatered marquees will border the new free Hard Rated Enclosure which “is a more casual way to enjoy the day” and includes an island bar and background music.
“We are hoping that little area has a good vibe and a nice, relaxed atmosphere,” Mr Plumber said.
The excitement of the gold cup will kick off with a free cocktail party at the Jens Hotel Function Room from 6pm on Friday followed by the Bernie Flood Property Conveyancing Calcutta from 8.15pm with meals available beforehand.
Mr Plumber said at the track testing on the weekend, the consensus by trainers was the surface was the best it had been in years.
“You cannot race without a track and we know they (the committee) have definitely had their issues in the past and a lot of money was spent rebuilding it or resurfacing it,” he said.
“We are always kind of on a bit of a knife edge, there is always that bit of concern so to get that good feedback on the track is pretty heartening.”
While the official race card is yet to be confirmed, there is expected to be eight races with around a dozen horses vying for the prestigious gold cup with the Volcano Sprint and the Blue Lake Handicap listed as feature races.
