Regulars at the Omakau trots, Ida Valley couple Callum Paterson and Dayna Lake, ''upped the ante'' yesterday and went for comfort by taking along two sofas.
''Being pregnant, I wanted to have a comfortable seat, '' Ms Lake said.
The couple and daughter Pippa arrived at 8am to get a good spot under the trees before the racing action began at noon.
''If you're going to be here all day, you might as well be comfortable,'' Ms Lake said.
Mr Paterson said a few people had asked who brought along the sofas - ''so it'll be interesting to see if there's others here next year''.
The furniture, from the balcony at their home, receives the occasional
dousing from irrigation sprinklers so the couple were unconcerned about any sudden rain showers.
The sofas had once belonged to the Commercial Hotel in Omakau so were probably a familiar sight to many of the punters at the races.
The couple were among a crowd estimated by trotting club president John ''Snow'' Hamilton at between 6000 and 7000.
''We're absolutely thrilled to see such a big crowd. This has always been a picnic day out and we love seeing people bring along their chilly bins and rugs. We cater for family groups, with lots of free entertainment for the kids,'' he said.
It was a fine, balmy 25degC, and this was the first meeting held in conjunction with the Southern Harness racing team.
''All the feedback about the meeting has been positive; trainers and drivers have been raving about the good condition of the track and everyone at the races seems to be having a good time,'' Mr Hamilton said.
The event is the first in a series of four race meetings in Central Otago this week.
Today, the Summer Festival gallops will be held at the Omakau racetrack, the Roxburgh trots will be held tomorrow at the Roxburgh East racecourse and on Thursday, the Wyndham Harness Racing Club will hold a meeting at Cromwell.
