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Darwin Turf Club gears up to throw gates open to punters

A DARWIN Cup Gala Ball and a Cup Carnival with punters allowed on the Fannie Bay racecourse are back on the table.

<s1>Gina Cassimatis, Tatiana Hoffmann and Madelaine Cvirn in the Darwin Cup Fashions on the Field competition. Keri Megelus</s1>
Gina Cassimatis, Tatiana Hoffmann and Madelaine Cvirn in the Darwin Cup Fashions on the Field competition. Keri Megelus

A DARWIN Cup Gala Ball and a Cup Carnival with punters allowed on the Fannie Bay racecourse are back on the table.

The Darwin Turf Club (DTC) has launched into strategic planning for possible public participation at Darwin Cup Carnival events, racing and social, in the wake of the NT Government’s easing of coronavirus restrictions.

DTC chief executive Brad Morgan said what had previously been optimism has now become certainty for pre-Darwin Cup, Sprint Day Cup social events and serious probability for the public returning to race meetings.

“We are getting more information from government and from next week our management team will be putting together our own road map forward,” Mr Morgan said.

“We want to get a clearer picture on issues around numbers we can have at our events and how to manage time restrictions.

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“The easing of restrictions has absolutely lifted our confidence that we will have some form of crowd involvement during the Darwin Cup Carnival.

“The Darwin Cup Ball is the other thing. It’s looking more and more like we will have something, just what shape that takes and what our numbers can be are to be determined.

“We will definitely have some hospitality on course and we are certainly planning towards having some form of event on the Saturday night be the Monday Cup and Sprint day.

“If it is 500 for example we can really easily cater for that many on site at the Darwin Turf Club or elsewhere, we are still discussing that … certainly we will be doing something in the way of a dinner or a ball.”

DTC chairman Brett Dixon was equally upbeat.

“It’s all good news,” Mr Dixon said.

“It seems obvious that we will now be able to have some sort of crowd or spectator attendance at some stage, which is exciting.

“We are still looking for a bit more detail on the guidelines going forward, but we will be working on a COVID plan in preparation.

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“The guidelines from government will assist us with our planning, but in essence this is really good news and exciting to think that we will be able to have spectators and attendance in some form right throughout the carnival by the sounds of it.

“We are now very confident that this will all be manageable during the carnival. This has given us all a lift in confidence.”

DARWIN CUP CARNIVAL PROGRAM

July 4: Ladbrokes Guineas

July 11: The Asian United Food Service Chief Minister’s Cup

July 22: Derby Day, Metric Mile

August 1: Darwin Cup ball or dinner

August 3: The Bet365 Palmerston Sprint and the Great Northern Darwin Cup

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Original URL: https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/darwin-turf-club-gears-up-to-throw-gates-open-to-punters/news-story/2495e34aef3a4c43dfc7ccbf1d0a8289