Hundreds of eager spectators put on their most glamorous outfit and made their way to the Dubbo Turf Club for the annual Melbourne Cup Day meeting.
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Fine weather and good racing drew one of the largest crowds in recent memory for the meet.
It resulted in strong competition for the Daily Liberal Fashions on the Field but two winners were found.
Rose Black was the deserving winner of a $150 Whitney’s Jewellers voucher after being judged the Lady of the Cup.
Shelvin Narayan claimed the Gentleman of the Cup award and the $150 voucher for Sid’s Bottle Shop.
Ms Black said she was delighted to be a winner against a very strong field of women.
“This is my first time back into fashions for about five years so I’m super excited,” she said.
“The ladies look great. I was looking at them and feeling very proud to be part of the Dubbo community.
“They looked stunning and it just goes to show that the ladies in the west can do fashions just as well as ladies in the city.”
Mr Narayan said he didn’t have any intention of taking part in Fashions on the Field when he arrived but was nominated by the spotters.
“It was fantastic. The ladies all looked fantastic, I thought everyone was dressed up nicely,” he said.
“I don’t get the chance to dress up very often so I thought I would make the most of it.
“I organised what I was going to wear yesterday but luckily I have most of the gear at home.”
Dubbo Turf Club general manager Vince Gordon said he was delighted by the turnout.
“It looks pretty good. People are saying the crowd is as good as they have seen for a Melbourne Cup Day in Dubbo and that’s really encouraging,” he said.
“The good thing is everyone is having a good time. It's the day that stops the nation. Our crowds enjoyed it on the big screen and some local racing as well.
“It’s very pleasing from a club point of view. We are very excited to see the city’s support of the club.”
Rekindled was the 2017 Melbourne Cup winner, ahead of Johannes Vermeer and Max Dynamite.
Mr Gordon said he thought it was a good Melbourne Cup but said there weren’t many in the crowd at Dubbo that would have tipped the winner.
“It was a typical Melbourne Cup, a couple of horses fought it out at the end, one coming from behind. It was a classic staying race and great to watch,” he said.
“[Rekindled] wasn’t a favourite by any stretch of the imagination but favourites don’t always win.”