Boxing Day races to bring festive spirit to Ballina Jockey Club

BALLINA Jockey Club is gearing up for one of its biggest race days of the year on Boxing Day.

Punters are encouraged to get in early if they want to secure a ticket for inside the venue.

The crowd numbers are usually boosted by a combination of holidaymakers and decent weather.

“We really don’t know what sort of crowd we’re going to get until the day,” Ballina Jockey Club general manager Matthew Bertram said.

“If it’s a nice day weather-wise, we can easily get a bigger crowd than expected.

“The presale tickets inside will sell out, so I encourage people to get in early if they want to guarantee a seat in the air conditioning.

“We’ll have food trucks, kids activities and it will be a real festive atmosphere for the whole family.”

The Ballina Fair Fashions on the Field will have prizes worth $3000.

The summer racing carnival kicked off with a TAB meeting at Ballina on December 10.

Bertram said the track is in excellent condition, with all roads leading to the Ballina RSL Club Summer Cup on January 17.

A Calcutta will be held at the RSL club the night before.

The first two finishers in the $65,000 feature race will qualify for the $3 million Big Dance at Randwick.

Country horses can also qualify for the Little Dance and Barn Dance, with a total prize pool of $4 million from all three races.

Meanwhile, Lismore Turf Club will host a major race day with the Christmas Cup today, December 20.

It has a TAB meeting on Sunday, January 5, with Ballina to host another event before the cup on Thursday, January 9.

Tickets for the Boxing Day and Summer Cup meetings can be purchased at tickets.localtix.com.au.

Gates open at noon with kids under 18 free. There will also be free bus transfers, live music, bookmaker and full TAB facilities.