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#ALBURYGOLDCUP NEED TO KNOW
Gates open at 11.30am.
Admission is $30 for adults, $25 for age pensioners. Under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Race times: 1.10pm, 1.45pm, 2.25pm, 3.05pm, 3.37pm, 4.12pm, 4.52pm, 5.32pm.
Parking at the track is limited. Patrons are encouraged to use public transport or taxis.
Fashions on the Field starts at 2pm. There are three categories up for grabs with a $35,000 prize pool.
1) Myer Lady of the Day
2) Myer Gentleman of the Day
3) Myer Millinery of the Day
The judges are 2014 Miss Universe Australia Tegan Martin, Men's Face of Myer Kris Smith and Alex Pendlebury, wife of Collingwood footballer Scott Pendlebury
GETTING HERE
Buses will be operating from central Albury to the racecourse between 11am and 2pm, departing from the following stops every 30 minutes. Cost is $8.
- Atura Albury (Dean Street)
- QEII Square (Dean Street)
- Myer Shopping Centre (David Street)
- Lavington Shopping Centre (Griffith Road)
- Thurgoona Plaza
- Thurgoona Drive (opposite St Hillaire)
- Elizabeth Mitchell Dr & Quondong Streets
For the return trip, buses will be operating from the racecourse to central Albury between 4.30pm and 8pm, dropping at Dean Street, Lavington shopping centre and Thurgoona on demand.
LIVE TRACKSIDE
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And that’s it from us today. Thanks for tuning into our first Gold Cup live blog, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Keep an eye on www.bordermail.com.au as all the photos from the day filter in, including the ever-popular Hot 100.
5.40pm: Albury Gold Cup day is a wrap!
The last race has been won by Melbarra Star, with Landau placing second and Another Rush cementing third.
5.25pm: The last race of the day is just minutes away. Stand by.
4.55pm: The Flat Knacker has been won by Corsica Lad, followed by Beau Tirage and Highly Geared.
4.50pm: Now we’re getting to the tail end of the day, with the Flat Knacker just minutes away from getting started.
4.35: Rain is just starting to spit again ahead of the Flat Knacker.
Wet track form has been the story of the day.
High Opinion trainer Chris Heywood is just about the happiest runner up you could find at the Carnival.
4.16pm: Glen Boss has taken out the 2016 Albury Gold Cup aboard Tom Melbourne.
Two-and-a-half lengths separated Boss and the second-placed High Opinion.
Hippopus ran third.
4.05pm: Just seven minutes to go until the barriers open in the big one, the 2016 Albury Gold Cup.
Still just the one scratching. Here are the runners.
3.45pm: Kayla Nisbet has charged home to take out the Albury Guineas aboard the Bjorn Baker-trained Rosaleisha by a nose.
Challenge Accepted fell just short of the challenge, taking second place ahead of Glen Boss on Gagosian.
3.32pm: And back at the fashions tent…
3.10pm: Pacific Tycoon wins race 4 for Andrew Dale. Dale won his first ever race here last year. Jockey John Kissick picks up his fourth win for the carnival after three on Thursday.
Willy White Socks and Raynes Park round out the three.
3.03pm: Two minutes until race four. Stand by for results...
2.45pm: In non-racing news, here’s what’s been happening in the fashions on the field…
2.30pm: Thrilling finish to race three, with Justiceforall edging out Doogans Rise in a photo finish.
Avroson rounds out the 1-2-3.
In other news, Trevor Sutherland's Mr Sommerville will run in the Gold Cup after a scratching from the Adrian Ledger Memorial.
2.15pm: It’s all hotting up now – race three is just 10 minutes away and fashions on the field is under way. Check out the livestream on our Facebook page.
1.55pm: We’ve dodged a bullet with the weather – the sun has re-emerged!
Albury's premier race meet is still on track. Race 2 was Chris Heywood's second win for the carnival.
1.50pm: Wagga trainer Chris Heywood wins race two in with Imperious. Rain started coming down as they jumped pushing he track to a heavy 10. Nick Heywood turns in a great performance in the saddle.
Race two taken out by Imperious, closely followed by Grand Proposal and Robusta.
1.40pm: Looks like what could be the last band of heavy rain is on the way, with a huge downpour in Wodonga right now. Get your brollies ready, just in case. It’s still sunny at the track. The second race is just minutes away.
Still a good field for the big race.
1.30pm: NSW racing minister Troy Grant couldn’t make it to the track after his plane couldn’t land at Albury this morning.
He was on board a Qantaslink plane due to touchdown at 9.30am but rain resulted in it being turned back to Sydney.
He tweeted an apology after being unable to get on another flight due to heavy bookings.
"Sorry guys was really looking forward to it had some other surprises to announce but will do it soon love coming to Albury," Mr Grant tweeted.
1.15pm: There we have it, folks, the first of the eight-card race has been run and won.
Wodonga trainer Peter Maher salutes in the first race with Dash of the Dart. Race fitness after running in Corowa a factor with apprentice Mitchell Aitken on board.
(1) 8. Dash Of The Dart
(2) 4. Daisy Doutes
(3) 6. Lots Of ‘em
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1.05pm: And the first race is about to kick off!
1pm: Racegoers are already on the ‘gram, flashing their race day looks. We’d love to see your photos – just use #alburygoldcup on social media and you could make the paper.
You can take a look at our ongoing gallery here.
In the meantime – here’s the start of the business side of today.
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12.55pm: Stating the obvious in the jockeys’ rooms.
12.45pm: Don’t miss the Border Mail Hot 100 snapper as you make your way through the gates.
Here’s what to look out for:
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12.40pm: He’ll be flying the flag for the Riverina, but Chris Heywood isn't feeling any pressure ahead of the Gold Cup. The lively Wagga trainer was buoyant about High Opinion's chances in the feature race on Friday, despite the competition.
“We know we've got some tough opposition, which will be difficult. But we'll try hard, I think he's a capable horse,” Heywood said.
“He's probably the best horse to come from our area (in the Cup), but it's definitely hard when you're going up against horses of this calibre.”
12.30pm: And here are the hot tips for today from our punting gurus. Of course, we’ve had some scratchings, including one of the Cup favourites Radical.
Scroll down to an extended list of scratchings.
12.15pm: With just under an hour to go until the first race, it’s a cool 16 degrees, the rain is easing, the wind has calmed. We’re not calling a balmy day just yet, but it’s certainly an improvement.
The track is rated a heavy nine.
12pm: A few adjustments are being made at the course ahead of the first race, which will be run at 1.10pm.
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11.50am: What’s the track like? This morning it was rated a Good 4… and then the rain hit.
11.43am: So here’s how it looks at the racecourse. A bit of drizzle as this latest wave of rain hits town.
11.30am: And the gates are open! It looks like we’ve one more band of rain on the way and then it could even clear up. There’s been some blue sky peeking through those clouds.
11.20am: Here’s an update on scratchings for the day so far.
Race 1: Rasputin
Race 3: Mr Sommerville, Go Get ‘Em, Eyre Square, Quatre Belle
Race 4: Hangover Monday, Sammuka
Race 5: Princess Kashema
Race 6: Radical
Race 7: Fab Fevola, Pretty Possum, Sweet Emily, Calke Abbey, Zedivine
Race 8: Mitchell Road, Les Darci, Real Calm, Tycoon Tony
10.55am: Reports coming in that stewards are walking the track for an inspection after this morning’s downpour. Stay tuned.
10.30am: Okay, this weather situation is likely to get worse before it gets any better.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds across a large southern section of the state.
The BoM advises that wind gusts could reach peaks of more than 90km/h as vigorous west to northwesterly winds blow ahead of the cold front moving across NSW.
10.15am: Plenty of humour out there as locals and racing fans take in the weather situation. FYI, if you’re watching from afar, it’s wet. It’s windy. It’s not that glorious a day… yet.
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9.55am: We’ve started the day with a scratching.
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9.45am: Well this weather isn’t exactly punter-friendly, but it’ll still be a big day here at the track.
The rain won’t deter everyone though… there is a bright side to such a soggy day.
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SNAP HAPPY AT THE TRACK
click on the photo to see more in the series
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READ UP
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