Restrepo and Abettorpunt Backmarkers for Sunday's Hamilton Cup

[codywinnell]

I read on Twitter that Dan Mielicki said it was one of the biggest Country Cup crowds he had seen - whether he means this season or overall I don't know!. I tend to agree with you Kev. Tote figures will be interesting - if the crowd is up, they will be too. I will use that as a guide.

Unfortunately the on-course tote was down for the first two races - so the bookmaker would have done a roaring trade! But it will affect the on-course betting figures and that was very unfortunate.
I was there and there was a very, very good crowd and a great atmosphere.
Dan Mielicki was full of praise for the club.
After the cup the presentation was watched by a huge throng of people and the betting ring/bar was chockers from R1 to after the last.
The lawn area filled up for each race, but the bulk of the crowd was in the newly named Jim Barker Stand (immediately in front of the winning post).
And Restrepo's win has won harness racing some new fans. I was talking to people who were at the trots for the first time and they were simply awestruck with how he got the job done.

[Amlin]

Good news all round. Hamilton club have fought their way back and deserve the success.

[Messenger]

Unfortunately the on-course tote was down for the first two races - so the bookmaker would have done a roaring trade! But it will affect the on-course betting figures and that was very unfortunate.
I was there and there was a very, very good crowd and a great atmosphere.
Dan Mielicki was full of praise for the club.
After the cup the presentation was watched by a huge throng of people and the betting ring/bar was chockers from R1 to after the last.
The lawn area filled up for each race, but the bulk of the crowd was in the newly named Jim Barker Stand (immediately in front of the winning post).
And Restrepo's win has won harness racing some new fans. I was talking to people who were at the trots for the first time and they were simply awestruck with how he got the job done.

I do not want to sound like a knocker but that Jim Barker Stand and the area in front of it are small. I appreciate that your job is promotion Cody but were there a 1,000 people there?

[codywinnell]

I do not want to sound like a knocker but that Jim Barker Stand and the area in front of it are small. I appreciate that your job is promotion Cody but were there a 1,000 people there?

All good, Kevin, I don't think you sound like a knocker at all with a legitimate question like that.

It's not a huge area but it was jam-packed for each race after about Race 3. Especially for the cup.

But importantly the area along the lawn is also pretty open, and as you'd know the area to the right of the winning post (near the stewards' tower at the end of the straight) was also full-up with viewers. Then there were the punters who didn't leave the bar/betting ring area to watch the action live.

I've been to plenty of Hamilton Cups in my time and I can say the crowd yesterday was bigger than anything there has been for the last 15 years.

[codywinnell]

And just quickly, my job is communications and media more than promotions, Kevin. HRV has a marketing team that looks after that side of things.

[Messenger]

Good to hear they got the crowd they deserved Cody and I did know that your role was not specifically promotion as such. Cheers

ps How was Wayne Carey received and used?

[codywinnell]

For sure, they are a hard-working club.

Carey was well received by the locals! I saw a lot of fans of his wanting to talk to him about the Roos and a lot of other club's fans wanting to tell him they were "a lifelong Demons supporter" etc. To which I heard Wayne say "Well, you're a sucker for punishment then!"

He was great. Enjoyed himself, got involved with the cup presentation etc.

Overall the day was quite casual for a cup meeting - and I think the crowd preferred far more than the old "hoity-toity" type setup that can often scare off the punters.

[Messenger]

Stawell is very casual too. I do however think that you need to have marquees (pre-sell) etc to get a really big crowd. Look at how big nearby Dunkeld's Cup day is. Sure it is a once a year event but a lot of the people you are going to get to your Cup are going to be once a year people

[codywinnell]

Agreed. A few mates and I get a Dunkeld marquee every year - one of the best days on the gallops calendar for mine.