Wangoon Hosts the Warrnambool Racing Carnival
Wangoom is a town in the Western District of Victoria, some 255 kilometres from the state capital, Melbourne and 12 kilometres from the regional centre of Warrnambool. The population at the 2006 census was 378. The TAB Warrnambool May Racing Carnival is the one of the best racing carnivals in Australia. It is certainly the only one that is held over three consecutive days. The 3 day event attracts around 35 000 patrons from local, national and international markets.
Warrnambool Racing Carnival’s itinerary for 2016 has been set. The first day Tuesday 3 May 2016, also known as Brierly Day 1. Wednesday 4 May is the second day, known as Galleywood Day 2. The third day, Thursday 5 May 2016 is the Grand Annual Day 3. All three days of the Carnival are full value entertainment, accompanied with quality racing, exceptional catering and great for all the visitors.
The Carnival Program
Tuesday is ‘Ladies Day’, showcasing the ever popular Ladies Luncheon. The days’ feature race is the ‘Brierly Steeplechase’. Wednesday is a racing purists dream, featuring two of Australia’s premiere regional races. The 1200m ‘Wangoom Handicap’ and the ‘Galleywood Hurdle’ ensure a day of quality fields guided by the nation’s top trainers and jockeys. The Wangoom Handicap, run over 1200 metres, offers prize money of $151 000. It is also the first leg of the Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock Treasure Trove, which offers a cash bonus to any trainer who can win the Midfield Group Wangoom Handicap and the Sungold Milk Warrnambool Cup.
The Thursday is the climax of the carnival. The internationally acclaimed ‘Grand Annual Steeplechase’ is accompanied with the ‘Warrnambool Cup’. The highlight of the Carnival is the Grand Annual Steeplechase, raced over 5500 metres and consisting of 33 jumps. The Annual is the longest thoroughbred race in Australia and has the most jumps of any horse race worldwide.
That does not follow any conventional course. Competitors leave the racecourse, gallop through paddocks and over roads in a clockwise direction. Finally the horses then re-enter the racecourse itself, and finish in an anti-clockwise direction.
A Day to Remember
The festivities at the Carnival for visitors and racegoers includes the Fashions on the Field competition, which consists of 4 categories and boasts a prize pool in excess of $20 000. There is also plenty of kids’ entertainment and hospitality packages to suit the needs of any group or individual.
The variety of options that punters have when betting on the horses in Australia is always huge and so even when races include different standards for horses, jockeys or otherwise, punters can be sure that the options to bet will remain constant and most importantly plentiful. With the choices ranging from betting on just the winner of the race, to the runners up, the order of the finishers and even the trifecta, places one, two and three, punters can find the risk to reward ratio that fits the best for them. So everyone at the internationally acclaimed ‘Warrnambool May Racing Carnival’ can join in and safely wager on the horses. The Club is steeped in over 160 years of history and remains one of the jewels in Country Racing Victoria’s crown; hosting some of Australia’s premier Jumps races during the carnival.