THE aftermath of the Swan Hill June Racing Carnival has revealed crowd numbers
were estimated to exceed 7000, with Saturday emerging as a popular popular
choice.
Organisers estimated about 2000 punters went through the gates Friday
and Saturday, with Sunday’s Murray Downs Swan Hill Cup Day attracting up to
5000.
Murray Mallee Racing’s Sheree Keyte said Saturday, traditionally a more
quiet affair for families, was increasingly popular across the board, with five
more mini-marquees sold compared with last year.
Saturday’s successful
offerings included a jumping castle, temporary tattoos, a table tennis
competition and special appearance by the Melbourne Cup-winning celebrity Sub
Zero.
“It shows families are coming on Saturday and enjoying those free
activities we offer,” she said.
The races were also the richest on record,
with $700,000 in prize money attracting high quality trainers and jockeys across
the three days.
The co-feature race on Friday was the VOBIS Gold Elvstroem
Classic (1300m) which raised the stakes by $130,000 and was the first of its
kind in Swan Hill.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the feature Murray Downs Cup was
raised from $85,000 to $100,000.
For more of this story, see Wednesday’s Guardian (June 12).
