600 @Wingatui on Boxing day

[Murray Fish]

A once great raceday...

 

‘Glamping’ at the races: taking in on-track action great cure for Christmas excess

 

By John Lewis

 

Parker Hood, 3, of Ashburton, and Honey the dog enjoy some time in the sun together at the Boxing Day Races at Wingatui yesterday. PHOTOS: GERARD O’BRIEN

Christmas dinner leftovers, a bit of sunshine and some horse racing — what better way to recover from a festive hangover?

 

Zara Hood came all the way from Ashburton with her family to spend the Christmas break with her extended family in Mosgiel.

But rather than just stay at her parents’ house, they all decided to go "glamping" in a holiday bus in the Wingatui Raceway carpark, so they could all go to the Boxing Day Races and still enjoy all the comforts of home.

 

Some of the 600 racegoers who travelled to Wingatui yesterday.

"There could be worse ways to recover from Christmas Day," she said.

 

"I didn’t have a hangover — I learned that lesson a long time ago — but there may be one or two people in our family nursing a sore head today.

"And I suspect a few more hangovers tomorrow."

 

Joe Gordon, of Mosgiel, and Steph Davids, of Christchurch, work out the form of the horses for the next race.

She said the on-track action was a great way to take people’s minds off their bloated bellies and aching heads.

 

In between grazing on Christmas leftovers, she had been ducking back and forth to place bets on the horses.

 

"I’ve learnt a lot off my husband about horse racing," she said.

"His parents actually had a few racehorses that they’ve done pretty well with up in Ashburton.

 

Enjoying the action are (from left) Luka Mitchell, 9, cousin Hazelle Verburg, 8, Scott Verburg and Julie McKenzie, all of Mosgiel.

 

"I haven’t had any wins yet but if I do, it will probably go towards a nice midyear holiday.

"Anything to contribute to that would be great," she said.

The Hood family were among about 600 people who revelled in the action of the last racing event of the year at Wingatui.

[mikeynz]

Is 600 as they say a good crowd ?

I actually thought some of the racing presented on trackside yesterday rather average, Otaki was a damp squib,with poor fields Wingatui was okish, Westport is being hampered a little with small fields, Ellerslie was ok.

Or maybe getting older it' just don't spin my wheels these days lol.

It seems aussie meetings are mostly run of the mill meetings, guess they work on the theory that being holidays the public turnout would be good, and probably is, but the big dates are better away from holiday time when people are more focused, this is the silly season.

Edited 24 minutes ago by mikeynz