The inaugural Property Brokers Otago Classics Day was staged at Wingatui over the weekend, and for the club, racegoers and horses alike, the day was an undeniable success.
Noelle Prince, General Manager of Otago Racing Club, acknowledged how special it was for the club to host such a significant event, which was a step in the right direction for racing in the lower South Island.
“It was amazing to be given the opportunity to host such a big day,” she said. ‘It was incredible to be a part of.
“The racing calendar was rejigged to have all of our large races moved to this day, so it was phenomenal to create a day like that down here and it was something we’ve never seen before.
“The team worked very, very hard on it, so it was great to see it come to fruition and everyone enjoy themselves on the day.”
A total stake of nearly $1 million was on offer, with the meeting combining four of the Otago Racing Club’s big races, with the $220,000 Gr.3 White Robe Lodge WFA (1600m), $170,000 Listed Dunedin Guineas (1600m), $170,000 Listed Dunedin Gold Cup (2400m) and $200,000 ODT Southern Mile Final (1600m).
The track, prepared by Wayne Stevens and Kevin Jones, played fairly throughout the day, improving from a Soft5 to a Good4 through the 10-race card.
Despite raiders from Canterbury, Central Districts and Waikato, the southerners held their own in many of the feature races, including the Wingatui-trained Loose Sally dominating the Guineas for Shankar and Ruvanesh Muniandy.
“It was fantastic to see some local wins,” Prince said.
“Seeing Loose Sally win was probably the highlight as Ray Chalklin, her owner, sponsored the Dunedin Gold Cup for many years when he owned Fire and Mechanical, so seeing him pick that up was pretty outstanding.”
Ascot Park gallopers Loftys Gift and Maximus Augustus were successful in the Dunedin Gold Cup and ODT Southern Mile Final respectively, while there was plenty of cheering on course when Danny Frye’s Our Echo came out on top in a Group Three thriller over Perfect Scenario.
“It was awesome to watch the Group Three and Danny Frye get the win, seeing what it meant to his team was a highlight as well,” Prince said.
“Those four big races stood out and it was a joy to be a part of.”
Off the track, the various hospitality areas were buzzing, and entertainment act The Black Seeds were a big hit after the last.
“The Black Seeds were fantastic, they entertained the crowd and everyone loved it, we had Loose and Colourful on before them too,” Prince said. “We partied on with the DJ for the evening as well.
“We hoped to put on a well-rounded day, racing is the star of the show, but we wanted to entertain everybody and give them a great day out.
“It was one big experience.”
Prince is among a nearly all-female contingent operating the club, with Samantha Wells (Sales and Marketing Coordinator), Becs Michelle (Event Coordinator) and Sharyn Anderton (Club President) bringing the Classics Day vision to life, fittingly with International Women’s Day approaching this Saturday.
As the dust settles, the team is already looking ahead to next year, with areas in racing, entertainment and hospitality all with improvement to come.
“There will be a lot,” Prince said. “In the events experience industry you put on the first day and there are many tweaks and changes. We’ll put on buses later in the day next time, as the students don’t want to come as early as when we had them.
“There are a lot of things we will do differently and build on, so onwards and upwards from here.”