Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Weekend of racing another success
‘‘The track was running really fast with great conditions. We are very pleased with the turnout given the circumstances.’’
The Kaiko¯ura Weekend of Racing got off to a foggy start on Sunday, but the cloud soon cleared for Kaiko¯ura Family Day.
With a shortage of accommodation in town there were a lot more motorhomes parked up at South Bay Racecourse this year.
After a quieter day on Sunday the crowds rolled in for the Alabar Kaiko¯ura Cup Day on Monday to see some great harness racing under beautiful clear skies.
Kaiko¯ura Trotting Club secretary Geraldine Stanbury said although gate sales were down 15 per cent there were almost 4000 visitors on the course on Monday.
‘‘The track was running really fast with great conditions,’’ she said.
‘‘We are very pleased with the turnout given the circumstances.
‘‘It just shows how iconic this race meeting is.’’
Sharon Neal, who with her husband Mike, sponsored first prize for the Most Appropriate Raceday Attire fashion competition, said the lower numbers were to be expected given people from Blenheim people weren’t able to come with SH1 north closed.
‘‘We’ve been well supported by Christchurch and all the people south,’’ she said.
The Most Appropriate Raceday Attire fashion competition was won by Annie Ashford from Parnassus. Runner-up was Chari-lee Swanson from Kaiko¯ura and Pauline Pattullo, from Akaroa, was third.
Sharon, who helped select the winner said she knew as soon as Ashford walked in she looked the part. ‘‘She looked really good, she was lovely - absolutely beautiful.’’
People came from all over, including Australia. Robin and Geoff Stanfield and Peter McKay, from Marburg in Queensland, had been planning the trip for a year, after being tipped off by a friend.
‘‘They said if there’s anything you must do once in your life time if you’re a trotting person you must go to Kaiko¯ura ... And then we watched the races on television last year and from that day we started planning and saving,’’ said Robin.
Robin thought Kaiko¯ura’s beauty was unique with the way the snow-capped mountains met the sea. ‘‘I don’t think I’ve been anywhere more beautiful ... You have the ocean meeting the mountains and the snow on the mountains, the race track is right on the ocean with the mountains in the background,’’ she said.