Racing Wodonga's biggest meeting is in the lap of the gods.
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Persistent rainfall since Wednesday left the track a heavy (9) late on Thursday afternoon.
With the prediction of up to a further 40mm on Friday, the Wodonga Gold Cup could be in jeopardy of going ahead.
General manager Steve Wright remained confident the club could dodge a bullet after being forced to race last year without a crowd due to COVID.
"I'm confident we will race, we just need the rain to stop," Mr Wright said.
"We are fortunate that the track is regarded as one of the best draining tracks in country Victoria.
"The track was a heavy (9) at 3pm on Thursday and had coped well with the rain we've had."
It's been two years since either Albury or Wodonga have been able to stage their premier meetings without being affected by the weather or COVID.
The Albury Cup was washed out in 2019 and was held the following year with no crowd due to COVID.
Wodonga staged its most successful cup meeting in 2019 with a record crowd of 10,000.
But in stark contrast there was no crowd last year.
The club was expecting a crowd of about 5000 today with all marquee packages sold and pre-purchased tickets of more than 4500.
Wright said the club would still hold a phantom meeting with racegoers allowed on course if the worst-case scenario eventuated and the meeting was abandoned.
"If we get washed out we still want to make it the best day out we can for patrons who have booked spots in marquees," he said.
"We plan to have what is called a phantom race meeting where people can still attend and enjoy the day without any live racing.
"The marquees will be open, food and beverage outlets will be open and there will be other entertainment.
"It's all about trying to make the best out of a bad situation."
Track manager Ash Hocking said it had been a stressful build-up to the club's biggest meeting.
"I'm confident if we get a three or four-hour period on Friday morning with no rain the meeting will proceed," Mr Hocking said.
"We've had 45mm since Wednesday, which the track has coped well with so far."
