Race club secretary D’Arcy Townsend said it rained heavily about 8am but it had all cleared in a few hours.

“There’s weren’t as many people early on in the piece, I think they were waiting to see what the weather did,” he said.

But by the first race the place was buzzing with an estimated crowd of more than 5000.

“Around midday when the buses arrived the crowd swelled to a crowd similar to last year,” Mr Townsend said.

The new offering of umbrellas and seat packages were popular with many racegoers while others preferred the luxury of marquees.

Away from the marquees and onto the race track, jockeys had a great day on the field.

“The standard of the horse races was remarkable, we had the closest finishes in years,” Mr Townsend said.

For Albury’s Nawaz Shah his first bet on a horse proved to be a winner after picking Step It Up in the first.

Mr Shah was over the moon with the win, even if it was just $4.

“It’s really just the honour of picking the winner; I might have to put more bets,” he said.

Standing out in the crowd was Tawonga’s Kelli Prime, 21, who looked stunning in a black and white check strapless dress.

The Tawonga resident is no stranger to the race circuit after visiting the Albury Cup and finishing runner-up in the fashion on the fields in the same ensemble.

But it was her time to shine at Dederang, wowing judges in the fashion on the fields with her matching hatinator.

Her sister, Sarah Prime, 22, was also in the fashion stakes wearing a dress her father chose for her from the Birdcage.

“Dad picked it for me; he did really well,” she said.

For Ben and Ann Scott, of Yackandandah, it was a chance to catch up with friends.

“We love the fact that it’s still a traditional country race meet,” Mrs Scott said.