One of the first major events to actually happen with a crowd in Ballarat since perhaps March, there was a sense of relief in the socially-distanced crowd at the Burrumbeet Cup.
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While several traditional events weren't able to run, like the kids' run down the straight, it was still a good day of racing, with the weather turning on a dime just before the first race after rain earlier in the morning.
The New Year's Day event is a tradition for many - one keen racegoer said she'd been going for 30 years, and there were several grandparents spotted with grandkids in tow, and games on the lawn.
After a horror year, the opportunity to relax with an upbeat and coronavirus-aware crowd was not one to miss - there was plenty of space to move around, and distance between tables, as well as more control over where people could go.
Perhaps a sign of how major events will be run in 2021, there were no crowds lining the fence on the straight, for example, but there was certainly still plenty of enthusiasm.
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