It will mark the 50th running of the White Robe Lodge-sponsored race.
It is understood to be the oldest continuously sponsored race in New Zealand and the patriarch behind the race is, well, champing at the bit.
Brian and Lorraine Anderton first sponsored the race in 1974 and Brian summed up his feelings rather succinctly.
"I’m quite chuffed about it all, really," the 86 year-old said.
White Robe Lodge Day — formally Champions Day — is one of the biggest days of the year at Wingatui.
It features three main races and the biggest of those is the White Robe Lodge Weight-for-Age, over 1600m.
It is a $100,000 group 3 race.
"Racing has been my life and I’ve got a lot out of racing. It is nice to put something back.
"The race has developed a lot and it has always attracted good horses."
That triggered a rather nice memory for Anderton. Horses do not get any better than Bonecrusher, who won the race in 1988 in front of a crowd of about 7000.
"He stayed at our [stud that week]. He was a big plain horse, but he had a motor."
Sure did. Someone even wrote a song about him.
The Anderton family has put a lot into racing over the years, but they are also hoping to take quite a bit out today through 6yr-old gelding Exchange.
The horse has drawn handily at barrier 4 and goes well on a firm track. It would be an upset if he edged the favourite Prise De Fer, who is trained by New Zealand’s leading trainer Mark Walker from Matamata.
"It is nice to see good fields. The White Robe is not that big but it is a pretty classy field and it should be a pretty competitive race."
Brian and son Shane have 3yr-old bay filly Inflamed contesting the $80,000 Dunedin Guineas, and 5yr-old bay mare Rosy Clark is running in race 10, the ODT Southern Mile qualifier.
