Like the classic Christmas tune tells us: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and Wentworth Park will go into full Christmas mode on Saturday night to celebrate.
The Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association will not only host their final Group races of the year but will turn on the entertainment for families.
Excellent fields have been assembled for both the Group 3 Christmas Gift over the 520m and the Group 3 Christmas Cheer over the 720m, but as chief executive officer Daniel Weizman said, not all the action will be on the track.
“This Christmas meeting is always a big occasion for us here at Wentworth Park, and we’re hoping to again attract a big crowd to come along and get into the Christmas spirit with us,” he said.
“We want Saturday to be one of those nights where the whole family can come along and have a great time.
“On track on Saturday we will have a jumping castle, face painting, and Santa balloons for the kids, but the adults don’t miss out either, with a four-piece band playing Christmas Carols throughout the night.
“For those interested we will also have a buffet available for just $27, and the GBOTA will be giving away some Christmas hams.
“Plus … we have some fantastic racing action on the track with two cracking Group race finals.”
Last weekend’s Newcastle Cup winner and recent Group 1 Topgun Stayers’ victor Ritza Piper headlines the field for the Christmas Cheer with the obvious danger being NSW Distance Championship and Sydney Cup winner Zipping Vanessa.
The Christmas Gift is a time-honoured feature dating way back to 1965 when Blast Off took out the inaugural running of the event.
Since then the Honour Roll has been filled with many stars of the sport in NSW, including the likes of Busy’s Chief (1974), the sire of Brother Fox, Little Blade (1980), Acacia Park (1983), How’s The Fort (1992), Cyrus The Virus (2002), Lochinvar Marlow (2010), Chica Destacada (2014), and more recently Feral Franky (2019) and Zipping Kansas (2021).
This year’s Christmas Gift is a competitive event with Andy Lord’s One Hot Bandit, Minnie Finn’s Zipping Caleb, and Neville Brown’s Eyes To Eyes heading the market, with Jay Opetaia’s Agland Luai (pictured) another strong chance.
“We have had a wonderful year at Wentworth Park in 2023, with some memorable moments both on and off the track, and I anticipate that this Christmas meeting will be another special night on Saturday,” Weizman said. “We would love to see a big crowd come along, and as I said, get into thay Christmas spirit, and join us in celebrating 2023.”
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