Christmas racing season off to a flying start

Christmas racing season off to a flying start

December 2013 – Auckland’s love for horse racing over the summer has been made abundantly clear with strong pre-event ticket sales for Ellerslie’s Christmas at the Races racedays – run as a joint initiative with the New Zealand Racing Board.

Pre-booked numbers into hospitality options on course are more than twice as high as this time last year – something Ellerslie CEO Cameron George credits to last year’s stellar season.

“Last year we established ourselves as the ultimate destination in Auckland to host Christmas parties. This year, everyone wants to be a part of the action and entertainment that a day at Ellerslie has to offer,” he said.

Auckland Racing Club is expecting over 8,000 racegoers, many attending business Christmas parties, over the three days of the Christmas at the Races series. Last Saturday was the first event in the series and saw 2,400 people descend on to the course for an entertaining day out.

Mr George says, “The high standard of hospitality we provide has also been key to us securing new sponsorship and Club members. Several businesses that have attended the racedays in previous years are now involved in other areas of racing.”

In addition to the many hospitality options on offer, Ellerslie also sees these racedays as an opportunity to give back to the community at what can be an expensive time for many.

“The three racedays in this series each offer free general admission as well as free entertainment to keep children entertained between races. The North Pole’s favourite resident will also be making a visit and we can’t forget the high quality racing on offer as horses prepare for the summer’s big carnivals,” says Mr George.

Across the season, Ellerslie offers free general admission and entertainment to children under the age of 15, free parking and, for 15 of the Club’s 26 racedays, free general admission for all racegoers.

Ellerslie has run Christmas-themed racedays for several years and this year has introduced the New Zealand Racing Board’s Christmas at the Races initiative to three of these events.

December is the Club’s busiest month with over 42 races across five racedays, including the beginning of The New Zealand Christmas Carnival on Boxing Day and December 28th. That event concludes on New Year’s Day.

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