The cool weather did not appear to deter punters, with attendance expected to surpass that of last year, an early analysis of ticket sales reveals. 

“The presales were similar and the gates at last count were slightly in front of last year. We thought we might end up with a smaller attendance given the weather, but it may surpass the 10,000 we had last year,” Mr McKenzie says. 

“The event was well marketed and the range in offerings for the general public through to the corporate areas probably made a big difference. The introduction of the yard which is a more family friendly area is an example of that.”

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Mr McKenzie says the quality of racing on offer is important to attract racing followers.

“We had such a wonderful card of racing today, genuine metropolitan racing that is similar to any in race meet in Melbourne and Sydney at this time of year,” he says. 

“We have a fantastic spot on the racing calendar being the last Saturday of the Spring Racing Carnival, also having the race on Saturday with no racing in Melbourne on the same day. The top class racing has made a big difference.”

Broadly, Mr McKenzie says, interest in country racing appears to be growing as a social day out. 

“If you look at the record crowds at the Dunkeld Cup, the Warrnambool Racing Carnival and the Ballarat Cup, these big iconic country racing events are becoming more popular,” he says. 

“It is a pleasing thing from the Ballarat Turf Club’s perspective that most tickets are based on repeat sales. That shows we are doing something right and people are enjoying the event year after year.”

The Courier spoke to many visitors at the Ballarat Cup, a number who were visiting from Melbourne, Geelong or interstate to catch up with friends or see their horse race. 

The day proved popular for bucks celebrations and weekend trips, with many visitors saying they planned to stay in Ballarat overnight. 

Visit Ballarat chief executive Noel Dempsey says there is no doubt the Ballarat Cup is one of the premier sporting and social events on Ballarat’s calendar. 

“More than ever, visitors are attracted to enjoying a race day with a difference, and with our brilliant food and drink scene and great accommodation, Ballarat is perfectly placed to provide a fantastic racing experience,” he says. “Even better for our tourism economy the Sportsbet Ballarat Cup provides the perfect occasion for an overnight stay.”

Ballarat Inspector Dan Davison says overall the crowd was reasonably well behaved, but a number of people were removed from the venue for drunkenness. 

“We will continue to work with the turf club and other alcohol related venues to ensure responsible service of alcohol is paramount to their planning,” he says.