“Horse racing-Quarantine-hit Aussie carnival in race against time” plus 1 more |
| Horse racing-Quarantine-hit Aussie carnival in race against time Posted: 25 Aug 2010 07:19 PM PDT Organisers of Australia's richest thoroughbred racing carnival have played down reports that approval delays for a new quarantine facility could threaten the participation of international entrants at banner races. Arrivals for the Sept. 29 - Nov. 21 Spring Carnival in Australia's southern Victoria state, which includes the A$6 million ($5.31 million) Melbourne Cup, have been pushed back due to the approval delays, prompting racing officials to rush to Canberra for meetings with the national quarantine authority. "We are certainly disappointed at the delay that has been forced upon the first arrivals," a Racing Victoria spokesman told Reuters on Thursday. "But we remain hopeful and confident of resolving that issue in the immediate future so that does not impact upon the major shipments (of horses)." The new quarantine facility at Werribee, about 30 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, had undergone a final inspection by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS), but the centre's operating manuals had not been approved. International horses must spend a minimum of 14 days in quarantine before travelling to Australia and another minimum 14 days upon arrival. The first horses for the Spring Carnival were due to arrive Saturday, but had been pushed back "tentatively" by a week, the spokesman said. The majority of horses would not begin arriving until Sept. 20 and 25. Another shipment of horses, nominated solely for the Melbourne Cup -- Australia's richest and most famous thoroughbred race -- had been booked for Oct. 9. The approval hold-up had yet to be resolved but talks with quarantine officials had yielded "significant progress" in the past 24 hours, the spokesman said. The main races of the Spring Carnival include the Caulfield Cup, held at Caulfield on Oct. 16, the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Oct. 23 and the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Nov. 2.
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| Horse racing boosts fair attendance Posted: 25 Aug 2010 01:01 AM PDT Attendance at this year's Northwest Montana Fair was the highest in recent years, and horse racing gets the credit for a big boost in crowd numbers. An estimated 74,970 people attended the five-day fair, according to interim Fair Manager Ted Dykstra Jr. That's a jump of 56 percent from last year's attendance of roughly 48,000 people. "A lot of it is due to horse racing. The stands were packed," Dykstra said. "We got about 5,000 people each day just for the racing." After a four-year hiatus from horse racing, the All Breed Turf Club stepped up to rent the fairgrounds track and sponsored two days of racing. Flathead County gave up horse racing in 2006, citing a loss of $10,000 per day. Results of the weekend betting handle weren't available yet from race organizers. Rodeo and concert attendance also increased at last week's fair. A total of 2,852 people attended the two concerts, with the Oak Ridge Boys attracting a crowd of 1,454 on Tuesday night and 1,398 people taking in the MercyMe Christian concert on Wednesday. That compares to a total of 2,119 people attending last year's concerts. Rodeo action spanned three nights. Thursday's performance drew 1,831 spectators, Friday drew 3,355 and Saturday's rodeo was a full house with 4,261 people. Total rodeo attendance of 9,447 compares with about 7,000 last year, Dykstra said. The carnival was busier, too. Inland Empire Shows reported $242,172 in gross revenue, up from $238,863 last year. The fair's take was $73,949, compared to $62,088 last year. Rain on Sunday put a damper on demolition derby attendance, but 2,039 spectators braved the soggy weather to watch cars smash into one another. Last year's attendance was 3,793. Dykstra said food vendors' sales were up an average of 20 percent. A second food court was added at the north end of the fairgrounds this year, featuring about a half-dozen more eating options for fair-goers. Those vendors reported slim crowds the first couple of days, he said, but once the second free stage in that area came alive with music and entertainment, business picked up. Most of those vendors will be back again next year, he said. "It went very well," Dykstra said of the 2010 fair. He stepped in as interim manager earlier this year when the Fair Board declined to renew Jay Scott's contract. Fair Office Manager Nuggett Carmalt said she heard comments from fair-goers about the fairgrounds being cleaner this year and got positive feedback about new directional signs. Dykstra will continue as interim fair manager through September. The Fair Board is poised to hire one of two finalists for the manager job and expects to have a new manager in place by October, he said. Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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