The hospitality sales for Cromwell are well ahead of last year, and it appears the decision to switch the feature status of Sunday's meeting has paid off.
The fields have filled up nicely, with the smallest field still attracting nine horses.
Last year's meeting was blighted by a giant crowd but not too many horses to bet on.
Now, if you're on course on Sunday, don't just sit in your corporate tent all day chatting about the holidays and eating some of Central Otago's much-vaunted stone fruit - get out there and have a wager on at least a couple of races. Let's just hope the weather plays ball.
Get your glad rags on
In a couple of Fridays, I will have been residing back in Dunedin for a year. As such, I will be handing out awards in Racing Matters on December 13 - a tradition I plan to continue for at least 20 years, or at least until the death of print journalism. Whichever comes first.
There will not be much in the way of serious analysis going on, and I'll be taking nominations from the public if you have any printable anecdotes from the last year which could be worthy of getting a ''Smithy''.
Yes, I've named the awards after me - I've always had a small narcissistic streak bubbling underneath the surface.
That's why I think my singing performances at weddings are actually appreciated.
Awards are symbolic only, although if you receive an award and take it in the spirit that is intended, I might give you a smile next time I see you at the races.
Smoked 'em
I questioned last week whether there had been a more confident horseman than Lance Justice.
To be fair, he left me and plenty of other harness racing pundits looking a little bit silly after he not only won the sprint at Menangle last week, but backed up his statement that Smoken Up would run under 1.50 for the mile when the 11yr-old - yes, you read that right - ran 1.49.9.
Would you dare bet against him in the Miracle Mile tomorrow night, even if the opposition will be bearing down on him from his barrier draw of one?
Whatever happens, it will be very surprising if the winner does not go under 1.50 for the mile.
Lazy Fiver
Miss Firefly failed to get buzzing at Alexandra Park last Friday, so we're trying Lucia Valentina in the Wellington Stakes at Levin this afternoon at 5.16pm.
