It was crowded in the shade at the Wingatui Boxing Day races on Saturday.
As the sun beat down, hundreds of spectators clustered under umbrellas, tents, and, in the case of Harriet Long (3), a white plastic table.
‘‘I'm 3 and ,'' she said, peering out from under the table. ‘‘I'm almost 4.''Harriet had come with her parents and sister, Amelia (20 months).
Her mother, Andrea, said it was Harriet's second time at the races. Harriet did not remember her first time, and then, suddenly, she did.
‘‘They're faster today,'' she said thoughtfully.
Mrs Long had been to a couple more race meetings than her daughter, but not many. ‘‘We're not seasoned professionals,'' she laughed.
Still, she had placed a bet on one race. And she had won - a whopping $6.‘‘I may have a cheeky bet on a couple of others,'' she said.
Andrea Kerr and Sara Kuzmanovic sat a couple of metres away, just beyond the scrum of blankets, picnics and families that filled the field directly in front of the tote.
They had a bottle of sparkling wine and two glasses.‘‘It's nice to sit here and have a couple of drinks - wind down after Christmas,'' Ms Kerr said.
Ms Kuzmanovic had been to Wingatui for Melbourne Cup Day. The vibe was ‘‘a little bit different'', she said.‘‘[Today] is very family orientated.''
Georgia Brunton and Sean Fitzgerald sat a bit further back, sprawled along the edge of a blanket.
They had come down from Palmerston North to visit friends, Ms Brunton said, ‘‘and we just thought, why not go to the races?''
She had been to the races in Palmerston North, but never in Otago.
‘‘It's pretty similar,'' she observed.
Ms Brunton placed a $15 bet on the second race - they had not arrived in time for the first.
Mr Fitzgerald had long pants on, hiked up. The pair were out in the open - no umbrella in sight, no access to shade.
‘‘I'm a bit hot, at the moment, actually, from what I'm wearing,'' he admitted. ‘‘But apart from that, it's a good day.''
