Preparations are almost complete for the Invercargill Harness Racing Club’s big Christmas meeting at Ascot Park Raceway in Invercargill tomorrow.
A day of top-class racing plus Ladies Fashion In The Field and a sweepstake competition on the feature event, the Group 1 Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup, ensure a great day of entertainment.
The cup is run over 2700m for a stake of $100,000 while a quality support card includes the Group 3 Brendan Franks Farrier David Moss Stakes Trot with a stake of $40,000, the Canada Stakes for a purse of $30,000, the Diamond Creek Farm/SBSR Robin Dundee Crown for stakes of $25,000. Also on this year’s programme is the Murray Brown Beaudiene Bad Babe 2yo Fillies Mobile Pace plus the McEwan Bloodstock, Wayne (Ox) McEwan Memorial, races that remember the significant contributions of Murray Brown and Ox McEwan to southern harness racing.
Ladies Fashion In The Field, supported by Elegance 148 On Elles Restaurant, McLeay Jewellers, Craig Heyrick, of Harcourts Real Estate Invercargill, and Sashies Sashes is back with entries open on course early in the day and a superb prize pool on offer.
On course patrons can drop their losing tote tickets or a coupon from the race book in one of the labelled buckets around the course with their name and phone number on the back. A draw will be made before Race 5 where each ticket or coupon drawn will receive a runner in that race. Should your runner finish first in race 5 you receive $1000 to bet on the Ascot Park Hotel Invercargill Cup. Second gets $300 to spend and third $200.
To enter you must be 18 years of age or older.
The race meeting is a twilight event due to start at 2.50pm.
By Lindsay Beer
