Newcastle Jockey Club were thrilled with results from their two-day spring carnival as they look to The Hunter program in November.
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NJC chief Duane Dowell said ideal weather helped attendances reach 2300 for Friday's Newcastle Gold Cup meeting and 2800 for Saturday's Ladies Cup Day.
The crowds were bigger than last year, as was wagering turnover. Improved field quality and sizes for the group 3 features - the Cup, Cameron Handicap and Tibbie Stakes - on Friday led to about $3 million in NSW TAB turnover for the meeting, up from $2.3 million.
"The carnival was every bit as good as last year and probably better," Dowell said. "Wagering was outstanding on Friday. Bigger fields obviously helped and the Cup itself will turnover a million on the TAB. It's great that we continue to grow the carnival, especially coming out of COVID."
He said the results bode well for The Hunter program on November 18. Hospitality packages for the day sold out within 24 hours.
The quality of racing was also a feature on Friday.
Democracy Manifest and Military Mission won the Cameron and Cup respectively in track record times. The performances have them as $15 chances for the group 1 Epsom and Metropolitan Handicaps respectively.
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