CONFIRMATION of a record Wodonga Gold Cup crowd of almost 10,000 people has boosted the chances of the public holiday being retained for the event.
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Racing Wodonga will soon begin preparing its application for an extension of the public holiday with a longer term than the most recent three-year deal being sought to grow the event even more.
Acting general manager, Paul Curtis, said the official crowd of 9213 was an increase on the previous year.
But he warned the club couldn't afford to rest on its laurels.
"We are delighted by the support from the community," Curtis said.
"We changed the layout of the course this year and there were more people accommodated in marquees.
"We feel that was a success and allowed the general public to manoeuvre around the track a lot easier, especially around the bookmakers ring.
"But the main focus now is ensuring the retention of the public holiday which has been the driving force behind the growth of the event.
"It's no secret that most people only attend because of the public holiday.
"The holiday is up for renewal and we would like to get more than just a three year extension.
"Planning wise if you have to outlay large amounts of money to grow the event even further, a three-year window is not a long time."
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Even though the public holiday is locked in until 2021, the club is acutely aware of the importance of giving the community including schools as much notice as possible for the cup date.
The latest extension scraped through on a 4-3 vote last year.
Tim Quilty, who voted for the public holiday, has departed council since the last vote and been replaced by Brian Mitchell.
Another potentially complicating factor is council elections are due to be held late next year.
Departed general manager Tom O'Connor lobbied hard for the introduction of the public holiday.
His replacement, Steve Wright, starts his new appointment on Monday.
Another big talking point of the meeting was the financial gamble to have Birds Of Tokyo play after the final race.
Curtis said the record crowd was vindication of the outlay for the band.
"How many people attended because of the races or the band?," he said.
"It's something that you can't really quantify.
"No doubt it was a huge gamble financially but it certainly paid off.
"You look at the crowd who stayed for the music after the races and there is no doubt that they were a huge drawcard."
