Alexandra Park Cup Week Festival – A lot to Celebrate

Media Release

Alexandra Park

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Alexandra Park Cup Week Festival – A lot to Celebrate

Celebrating 125 years of harness racing, it’s party time at Alexandra Park Cup Week. The festival is focused on two action packed nights beginning with the official opening on Friday 27 February with Oaks Night and culminating on Friday 6 March with the prestigious Auckland Trotting Cup up for grabs. Along with the action packed harness racing, each evening is filled with exciting entertainment and party time choices.

Trackside Action for Everyone

With hospitality packages on both nights, designed with everyone in mind, groups of friends can choose to party from a variety of venues over two fa; bulous fun evenings. From Top of the Park on Level five, to chilling out on the Epsom Balconies with the popular Young Guns Party, there are packages starting from $30 per person. The opening night fashion shows by Glamour Boutique and Annah Stretton in the Mumm Champagne Garden Bar are selling fast, but can be viewed from anywhere on course. Opening night features Jason Kerrison performing on the main stage for all to enjoy.

On Friday 6th March, Auckland Cup Night, the four fashion competitions have become a must see with entrants taking home prizes for Best Dressed categories as well as Best Body Art, and on the Main Stage live performances by The Hipstamatics. Continuing late into both Friday nights, the after party will follow in the Alex Bar and Eatery.

The combination of the best horses, superb racing, entertainment, fashion and hospitality make for not to be missed very special occasions.

Entry and entertainment are FREE for the public to enjoy and are carefully timed into the racing programme so no part of the action on and off the track is missed!

Alexandra Park CEO Dominique Dowding says, “following the recent announcements of the Auckland Blues set to build their new training facility at Alexandra Park and the recent merger of Alexandra Park with the Franklin Trotting Club this year’s 125th Anniversary Cup Week Festival will be brimming with excitement both on and off the track.”

Ms Dowding says the Park is encouraging people to experience racing’s party of the year aimed at the young, and those young at heart.

“Alexandra Park will have two sizzling nights of racing fun, with free entry to the course, there are packages for singles, corporates and the traditional trots’ goers, plus a myriad of fun awaits families. Hospitality packages are designed with everyone in mind on both nights and people can easily check it all out onwww.alexandrapark.co.nz ,” adds Dowding.

On the Track Action

Racing media personality Michael Guerin says Oaks Night on 27 February is where it all starts. The Pascoes Northern Oaks is to be decided and the race is the best indicator of who the princess of pacing will be.

The Oaks is a world renowned format for finding the best three-year-old fillies and in recent years the Alexandra Park Oaks has been won by champions like Adore Me, who have gone on to beat the boys in the New Zealand Cup and win over $1million. Guerin says Oaks Night also features the appropriately named Auckland Co-op Taxis City of Auckland Free-For-All and the preludes of the Woodlands Stud Northern Derby.

Cup Night on Friday 6 March is Auckland harness racing’s biggest night of the season. The $250,000 Auckland Cup is the race of champions. In the past it has been won by true sporting greats like Cardigan Bay, Young Quinn, Christian Cullen, Elsa and Themightyquinn.

Guerin says this year’s Cup could be the last ever start for $2.5 million winner and champion pacer Terror To Love. He will be primed to meet Miracle Mile and Victoria Cup hero Christen Me and the queen of the park, Adore Me.

“Remarkably, both Adore Me and Christen Me were bred and are part owned by 90-year-old Aucklander Charles Roberts, who only gets to see them race when they start at Alexandra Park. Until this year’s Cup, they have never clashed at Alexandra Park before so that alone will be exciting,” says Guerin.

Cup night also features the Group I, Woodlands Stud Northern Derby, for the superstar three-year-old boys. This season it is headlined by the best young pacers in Australasia, including Follow The Stars, Hughie Green, Have Faith In Me and Express Stride.

Guerin says the Derby winner traditionally goes on to win well over $1 million in his career and have value as a stud horse. Cup Night on 6 March will also see the best freshman pacing talent in the Young Guns Finals for the boys and the girls, a rich juvenile racing series unique to the Alexandra Park Northern Derby.

“The Auckland Cup has always been a race of champions but having it on the same night as the Woodlands Stud Derby makes for a night of champions. It provides a great night time racing experience for those whose commitments make racing during the day less attractive.

“The great thing about Alexandra Park is it has something for everybody from the glitz of fine dining through to the more casual racing experience. The intimate nature of the venue, adds to this.” Says Guerin.

Ends

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