Canberra Carnival delivers something for everyone

The Canberra Day public holiday held TAB Canberra Cup Day has gone from strength to strength in its second year as a family focused race day. The combination of excitement of live racing and an abundance of kids' activities proved to be a big hit with day 2 of the Canberra Carnival, TAB Canberra Cup Day enjoyed by many mums, dads, grandparents and kids.

The pony rides were a smash hit with many kids eager to replicate the superstar jockeys that were competing on track. A day designed with the budget-savvy family in mind, other free kids activities included horse & carriage rides, ponycycles, a jumping castle, balloon artists, arcade games and shows by kids’ band Mr Tim & the Fuzzy Elbows. Chief Executive Officer Andrew Clark was delighted with the atmosphere of the day.

"With COVID-safety in mind, a number of rides that were featured in 2020 weren't able to contribute to the wonderful offering of the day." Clark said. "These rides will hopefully return in 2022 which will add to the already long list of fun things for our families to do in between the unrivalled thrill of live racing."

"With tickets just $5 for adults pre-sale and free for kids, we're looking to provide a fun-filled day out accessible by every single Canberra family, we want to give Canberran's a great reason to stay in the Nation's Capital over the long weekend and to drive visitors into town." Clark said.

On John McGrath Auto Group Black Opal Stakes Day, a sell-out crowd of 3,000 enjoyed all that Canberra's premier race day has to offer. The Fashions on the Field Grand Final saw five wonderful female & male competitors battle it out on stage for that all important sash with Alison Jones and Rob Lee walking away with the top gong in the respective categories. They along with the runners up shared in over $5,500 worth of prizes. Spearheaded by local personality Kristen Davidson, the 'heats' for the competition were held virtually via Instagram.

The 2021 Covid-effected Canberra Carnival was an emphatic success across the board with over 5,000 happy patrons celebrating the Canberra Day long weekend at Thoroughbred Park. On-track, Canberra Racing Club Chief Executive Officer Andrew Clark was thrilled with the quantity and quality of the fields.

“We saw some excellent racing at Thoroughbred Park this weekend with some very talented gallopers on show.” Clark said. “We had 19 more starters across the two days than we did in 2020 and it was a healthy mix of talented locals who took out nine of the 16 races and runners from big City stables.”

Photo: Mr Tim & the Fuzzy Elbows entertain at TAB Canberra Cup Day