Cup ready to runneth over this Wednesday

A FLURRY of final preparations are in full swing at the Bendigo Racecourse for next Wednesday’s $500,000 Bendigo Cup, to be competed across 2400 metres.

This will be the last racing event at the White Hills facility before its turf is ripped up and replaced with 60,000 square metres of more-durable Kikuyu grass, with the track expected to be out of action until late March 2026.

In the meantime, life will go on at the venue, managed by the Bendigo Jockey Club (BJC), which will host Good Charlotte’s Motel Du Cap World Tour next February, and the Park Waves Festival and Red Hot Summer Tour next March.

BJC CEO Paul Scully said the Cup is the club’s biggest annual event.

“As a small team, if you look at some of the infrastructure we have on course today, it’s a big job,” he said.

“Months and months of planning go into it and everyone has put in a stack of work throughout the year to get it to this stage.

“I’m indebted to the work they do to make it look as good as what it does.”

Mr Scully said despite the current unhelpful economic conditions, the local community is getting behind this year’s Cup and ticket sales have been “exceptional.”

“If we can exceed or at least be similar to last year, around that six and a half thousand people mark, it’d be wonderful,” he said.

Mr Scully also asked patrons to consider catching the free shuttle service on the day, with buses departing Bendigo Station at 11.25am and 12.15pm, returning to town at 4.45pm and 5.45pm.

“The great thing about that is you know we can get you out safely and return you back into town,” he said. “That’s really important.

“We want our patrons to come and enjoy themselves and we want them to get home safely.

“We also provide a lot of shade and a lot of water so people can enjoy a great day out and look after themselves.”

Mr Scully encouraged locals to take advantage of the public holiday and come and experience “a Bendigo institution.”

“It’s been part of our fabric for so many years and these events only happen and evolve with the support of our local community,” he said.

Further details and tickets can be obtained on the Bendigo Jockey Club website.