DUBBO Turf Club general manager Vince Gordon may not have backed Almandin to win the 2016 Melbourne Cup, but that didn’t stop him from celebrating a successful Melbourne Cup.
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Hundreds of patrons turned up at the racecourse to take in the atmosphere of cup day, just 72 hours after thousands had the course rocking Dubbo’s biggest social event, Derby Day.
Gordon placed his faith in the third-placed Hartnell in the Cup, with the favourite just struggling to run out a strong 3200m.
“I tipped it to anyone who asked me, but that’s the good thing about the Melbourne Cup. Everyone has an opinion and sometimes you’re right and sometimes you’re wrong,” Gordon said.
While Melbourne Cup day lacked the pace of Derby Day, Mr Gordon said it was a great way to cap a big spring for the club.
The past couple of days have been a great success for the club, and a lot of it comes down to having office staff and other staff that have worked tirelessly in over the past few weeks to make sure these two days have succeeded.
- Vince Gordon
“Everyone is kicking back and enjoying their day, that’s what it is about,” he said.
“We had 300-odd people booked into marquees and another few hundred general punters out here as well.
“The past couple of days have been a great success for the club, and a lot of it comes down to having office staff and other staff that have worked tirelessly in over the past few weeks to make sure these two days have succeeded.”
Dubbo Turf CLub will now have an extended break from racing, with drainage work on the track to start on Friday.
It will hopefully put an end to the spate of washouts that have plagued the club over thye past decade.
“We don’t race again until February 19, which will be our Country Championships day,” Mr Gordon said.
“The irrigation and drainage work is designed to allow us to cop 50mm of rain in a couple of hours and still race not long after that.
“It will be exciting for us, and even though we’ve had to move a couple of race days the fact we could get Derby Day and Cup Day in before this work means we carry a bit of momentum into the break.”
