THE only Mid North racecourse to enjoy the excitement, glitz and glamour of the "race that stops a nation" - the Melbourne Cup-is at Taree for a five-race meeting held by Taree Wingham Race Club this Tuesday.
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The club hosts one of its biggest crowds every year on cup day and festivities are geared to make the experience enjoyable.
Time is allowed before and after the Melbourne Cup for patrons to have a bet with either the TAB or the trackside bookmakers and collect before the local program of races roll on.
Extra staff and security will be on hand to make sure the cup day experience is pleasant for patrons, who will be partaking in the thrill and spectacle of racing with television monitors spread throughout the course.
Special refreshment bars and eating facilities are set up, although some patrons may enjoy their own picnic baskets of food.
Patrons are encouraged to dress up for the occasion, with $2000 in prizes able to be won in the Fashions On The Field competitions for male and females.
Some from far away as Sydney are booked in for the special luncheon to be held in the Winning Post Function Centre and they made sure of their seats months ago.
The local racing card always provides a spectacle to get patrons excited about the big money races in Melbourne and the $6000 NBN Television Spring Cup over 1624m heads the five-race meeting. As there are so many Melbourne Cup meetings around NSW on Tuesday, fields are limited to eight due to the number of jockeys on hand to meet obligations.
Port Macquarie trainer Margaret De Gonneville has a strong hand in the Spring Cup with five-year-old mare Golden Melody which in four runs from a spell has been no further back than third.
The mare was second when beaten 2.5 lengths by Taree mare Alma Girl over 1600m at Krambach Race Club's cup meeting at this track on October 24 and should be tuned to go one better.
Its danger could be locally trained Can't Be Doubted, trained by Michael Byers, which is also having its fifth run back from a spell and will be suited by a good track.
Byers also has Nonino resuming from a spell on the Cleaver's Tyres Service Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1420m but meets a pretty strong field of runners from Wyong, Port and Taree.
It last resumed from a break for a good second and usually races well fresh.
Warming up to its task for this race could be Wauchope's Rigamarole, trained by Colt Prosser from Port, it having had two seconds in its past four races.
About 50 nominations have been received for the meeting and acceptances won't be known until today but it appears some horses in a couple of the races won't get a run due to the field limits.
I will preview the meeting in future editions and on radio 2MC at 8.50am and on Radio 2RE at 8.05am on Saturday.
(Doug's preview of the Taree card will be available on line at www.manningrivertimes.com.au on Monday morning.
This will include selections for all races. The Times covereage of the meeting will start in Wednesday's edition.)
