Fashion and fun take lead over fillies
Christchurch’s Cup and Show week will go a little longer than expected, after slippery track conditions meant Saturday’s gallops developed into more of a party and fashion show.
One of the country’s biggest race days, the New Zealand Cup meeting at Christchurch’s Riccarton, was postponed just three races in due to an unsafe track.
Steward John Oatham confirmed just before 2pm on Saturday the meeting was off, after a horse slipped on the track during race three.
The remaining nine races on the card, including the group one New Zealand 1000 Guineas and the New Zealand Cup, would now be raced at Riccarton today. Entry will be free.
Without the races to occupy the sell-out crowd on Saturday – an estimated 15,000 people – the festivities took centre stage, with enthusiastic crowds of punters dressed to the nines forming around bars and the DJ booth.
That included the popular Spring Fashion in the Field competition, which went ahead as planned.
Couture milliner Susi Meares – owner of Seventh and Figg – was the overall women’s winner, scoring a trip for four to Marlborough and a year’s supply of The Ned wine.
But the day was a double victory for Meares, who also styled men’s fashion winner Sam Schwartfeger.
‘‘We’re very lucky today to both win.’’ Schwartfeger was also named bestdressed man at the NZ Trotting Cup day at Addington Raceway earlier in the week in similar attire, pairing his dark, uneven length pleated jacket with red polka-dot accessories, white trousers and hat, and a smart walking cane.
‘‘We just made a few tweaks.’’ Meares had styled her own artfully feathered headpiece, accompanied by a Spanish-style skirt in bold red.
‘‘It’s overwhelming, especially to have Sam win twice. It was quite a thrill to style him, to win myself was just a bonus.’’
Schwartfeger said taking out the second title had come as quite a shock.
‘‘I feel just giddy, I’m speechless really. This was more just about us having fun today.’’
But the postponements made for a disappointing day for trainers, many of who had travelled quite some distance to attend the meeting.
Trainer Leonard Stewart had travelled 160km up from Timaru for the races. He had three horses scheduled to run, including Ekstrememiss in the NZ Cup.
The cancellations were ‘‘disappointing’’, he said.
At 90, Stewart reckoned he was ‘‘most likely’’ one of the most senior trainers there. He had travelled up for the Riccarton races nearly every single year since 1972 – minus a few in the 90s.
‘‘I’ve got a crook leg anyway, so golfing wouldn’t be much good.’’
Racing was also a family affair for Stewart. ‘‘I’ve got a grand-daughter who loves the horses – that’s a big part of it.
‘‘I told her when she was about four I’d have to get her a pony. She stuck her lip out and said I don’t want a pony, I want a racehorse.’’
Stewart and his team were packing up their horses to head back to Timaru on Saturday, still uncertain what this would mean for the horses they had scheduled to run in the remaining races.
‘‘It’s a real shame — there’s such a crowd here today.’’