The annual Glenorchy Races is being held on Saturday, January 6, at the head of the lake’s rec ground/golf course/rugby field/cricket pitch.
Organised again by the Lakeside Rugby Club, its secretary Brylee Percy says punters will be entertained by the usual races, including a walk, trot and gallop, a relay, double-banking, the stockman’s race and a quarter-mile sprint — and they can have a punt.
The Equalizer will be back in play, allowing people to place a bet, but, per usual, they can’t pick their horses.
Percy’s expecting a few out-of-towners on the start lines this year, "which is really cool, ’cos we kind of need more horses".
Next year’s event will feature a lot more stalls, including different food options, but those hankering for a whitebait patty will again be out of luck, with no applications to run one received by the November cut-off, Percy says.
And after the day’s racing’s complete, Dunedin band The Sea Beast will entertain the crowd - which usually numbers about 3000 - at the grounds.
Entry fee for adults is again $20 - the money raised goes towards a variety of causes in the local area.
"I don’t know exactly how much we raised [this year], but we donated quite a lot of money to the local first-response team here in Glenorchy and to the [rescue chopper] and a few smaller local organisations.
"The golf club got quite a bit of money from us this year, we’ve bought sporting equipment for the local cricket [club] and I’m sure we’ll donate more to different places after this one."
As to the event’s continuing popularity, Percy puts that down to the fact it’s a fun, affordable, family-friendly event — the likes of which are increasingly hard to find in the Whakatipu.
The first race will run about 11am.
