Perfect weather and a bumper crowd of around 12,000 at Wednesday’s Geelong Cup has delighted organisers and racegoers.
Emissary took out the feature event at Geelong Racing Club ahead of favourite Surefire with Makram third and Rodrigo Diaz fourth.
Geelong Racing Club chief executive Luke Rayner said the day was a success.
“I think it was a great day, the weather was on our side, the crowd seemed really solid, the racing was terrific, crowd behaviour was unbelievably good, the fashion was well and truly out to be on show and I think all in all the majority had a really good time,” he said.
“The early indication is that everybody had a really positive experience at the Geelong Cup.”
Almost half of the crowd were corporate customers. Mr Rayner said around 5100 punters paid for the privilege of enjoying the day in luxury.
“That’s probably as big as we can get from a corporate perspective,” he said.
Emissary now looks to have qualified for the Melbourne Cup, earning a hefty weight penalty by winning the Geelong Cup.
“That will be two years in a row that the Geelong Cup winner will get elevated and get a weight penalty that should give it a Melbourne Cup start,” Mr Rayne said.
“Our Cup continues to be a great pathway through to the Melbourne Cup.”
Mr Rayner said the track was excellent considering the rain that fell a week ago.
“My track manager was an extremely happy man,” he said.
“I don’t think you will ever see a track and surrounds in better condition in my view.
“I think they did an amazing job and the feedback from all the stakeholders, trainers, jockeys was nothing short of exemplary.”
Western Victorian MP Andy Meddick joined animal activists to protest the Cup on Wednesday as he continues to speak out against the racing industry.
“Deaths in horse racing are in the spotlight during the Melbourne Cup but the reality is, they are a common occurrence even when the whole country isn’t watching,” Mr Meddick said.
“No animal deserves to die for gambling profits or so-called entertainment.”
