Did you ever ask for a horse for Christmas as a child and Santa didn’t bring you one?
Well, forget Santa; Benalla Racing Club will give you more horses for Christmas than you could have ever wished for.
The club is ready to spread the festive cheer at the Living Here Christmas Party race day on Saturday, December 16.
Benalla Racing Club chief executive Cameron Symes said the race meet took all the hassle out of party planning and all you had to do was have a good time.
“It’s a great place to have your Christmas party at the Living Here Christmas Party races,” Symes said.
“Obviously, it’s becoming a busy time of the year and everyone’s trying to get organised for the festive season.
“The race club can put on a great Christmas party for everyone where everything’s done for you.
“You turn up and whether that’s a private marquee or a shared marquee (you’ve booked), it’s all done for you.
“We run shuttle buses from in town to get people home safely from the races.”
There are plenty of options for fun seekers planning on attending the event.
There are umbrella packages and marquees that racegoers get a ticket for, but if you’re looking for the best experience, Symes says there’s one place you’ll want to book.
“I think value for money, for $125, a Christmas Party Enclosure ticket is very popular,” he said.
“We have live music in the shared marquee, so you can mingle (with other) businesses and businesses from out of town.
“It brings everyone together to have a good time.”
The six-race meet will draw a crowd as the racing gets under way about 3pm.
Symes said it was not just Benallaites who would be making the trip to the track.
“We’ve got businesses coming from Yarrawonga, Euroa and Shepparton, as well as Benalla, so it’ll be a great mixture of businesses,” he said.
“We have more (people) booked in than last year, so that’s a positive sign.
“We’ve got some live music running after the last race, which will be good.”
If the allure of watching great horses and jockeys isn’t enough, then Symes says the action off-track was sure to keep you entertained.
“We’re looking forward to a great afternoon of racing and celebrating what has been a great year,” he said.
“It’s definitely a Christmas party vibe and we’ll be putting on a special performance after the last race, which will surely be entertaining for everyone.”
While the club is working hard to get the track sorted for race day, Symes said the meeting would not be possible without the support of one local business in particular.
“A big thanks to the girls at Living Here,” he said.
“The day wouldn’t be possible without their support.
“They’ve been doing this for over five years now, so it’s great to have such good involvement and support from a local business.”