The tradition of attending the Albury Paceway for New Year's Eve celebrations once again proved popular with Border residents.
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The club was thrilled to attract a crowd of 2800 with a maximum of 3000 allowed on course under the 2 square metres rule applying to outdoor events under the current COVID-19 restrictions.
President Sue van de Ven said there was plenty of confusion on the night after the Victorian government tightened restrictions at 5pm on New Year's Eve.
"It was a bit disappointing to hear about the closure of the Border, which set us back a bit," van de Ven said.
"We were advised that there was going to be a hard lockdown of the Border at midnight.
"Unfortunately it wasn't communicated correctly and Airwize Fireworks who didn't return to Melbourne the following day are now faced with a 14-day quarantine."
Despite the confusion, van de Ven praised the behaviour of the crowd.
"Everybody was well-behaved and showed a lot of patience in regards to the COVID-19 protocols," she said.
"People have come accustomed to what's involved because of the border closure firstly by the NSW government and now Victoria.
"They have taken it all in their stride and it's a credit to everyone that there hasn't been any cases on the Border."
IN OTHER NEWS
Local trainers and drivers fared well at the meeting.
John Scott drove a winning double aboard the Errol Cochrane-trained Abercrombie Flash and the Chelsea Collins-trained Okay Devil.
Scott was narrowly denied a winning treble after David Jack won the final race of the night when he partnered the Paul Brown-trained Glitzy All Over.
Jack made a rare appearance in the sulky and proved he had lost none of his ability with a perfectly timed run to score by the narrowest of margins.
The club is now gearing up for one of its busiest periods with four meetings before mid-February.
It will race on January 12 and 22 as well as February 5 and 12 which is the Carnival of Cups meeting.