THE Swan Hill June Racing Carnival has been run and won for 2025, and the biggest winner has been Swan Hill.
With dividends from the three days of racing expected to be paying off for months in the local economy.
Not even the wintry weather could interfere with people’s plans as the carnival kicked off on Friday and ended with a flourish – and Dashing winning the $175,000 bet365 Swan Hill Cup on Sunday.
Local trainers and local jockeys were amongst the winners – along with the local accommodation industry and the flow-on to pubs, clubs, cafés and restaurants.
Swan Hill Inc business development manager Steve Colombo said the June long weekend of racing is one of the year’s biggest cash boosts into the local circular economy.
Mr Colombo said it brings somewhere between $2 million and $3 million into town – and that is nearly all money spent here and staying here.
“Swan Hill’s capacity to successfully stage a number of key big-ticket events spread across the calendar is a vital part of our economic achievement,” Mr Colombo said.
“And it’s not just about that instant cash injection, it also showcases everything we have to offer as a community and that also helps bring more people back for other visits.
“The ripple effect is powerful and when you stage events such as this, which bring in thousands of people it helps multiply that effect pretty quickly.”
For the record, the Aaron Purcell trained Dashing won the Cup, ridden by Declan Bates. The trainer and jockey had three winners together on Sunday, and Bates had four all up on cup day and a fifth one earlier in the week.
Local trainers Nathan Hobson, Heath Chalmers and Con Kelly also scored wins, along with superstar jockey Harry Coffey.
See all the Swan Hill June Racing Carnival pictures at: www.theguardian.com.au/photo-sales/galleries
