RACING Orange interim chief executive officer Daniel Brincat was hoping for an 80 per cent acceptance rate for Friday’s race day at Towac Park.
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He got 82.
Of the 96 horses nominated for the seven race program, 77 acceptances have been received.
“Once again, the local trainers are continuing to support us, which is great to see,” Brincat said.
“Admittedly a couple of the fields are probably a little smaller than you’d really like them to be, but at this time of year that’s not something to pick over.”
Brincat said the number of metropolitan-based trainers accepting was exciting.
“It’s good to know we can continually attract a good calibre of horse, and trainer,” Brincat explained.
“The trainers we originally attracted have kept coming back, so obviously the prize money we’re offering now is good enough incentive.”
Brincat said in the past, metropolitan trainers continually supporting rural racing was rare.
“It’s great to see them putting in for country racing,” he said.
“I’m sure the track here has a lot to do with it, it’s had plenty of water despite the dry weather and is holding together well.
“It’ll be good on Friday.”
The Paul Theobald trained Dunderry is one to watch, Brincat said, as it seems to have a love affair with the Towac Park track.
“We [Racing Orange] have our own horse making its debut so we hope it wins more,” he joked.
“But Dunderry is a very good horse, it’s had eight career wins and six of them have been over 1000 metres.
“It’s racing in the [Pinnacle Drilling] Open [Handicap] Race, so its going over 1000 again.
“It’s also won four times before at Towac, it loves the track.”
The first race jumps at 2.18pm.