The midway mark of Perth racecourse’s season, the Rock at the Races meeting, drew a crowd of thousands to the Scone track.
The Tuesday evening meeting is followed by an afternoon of racing on Wednesday, helping to cement what is shaping up to be a successful season.
Attendance figures are more than 5% up on last year which chief executive of Perth racecourse, Hazel Peplinski, believes in part is due to organising meetings which all have their own identity.
The Rock at the Races has been a fixture for ten years, combining the attraction of live music and jump racing right in the middle of the summer holidays.
The quality of the horses taking part is another major factor in bringing race fans to the track in the grounds of Scone Palace.
“The unseasonal weather and soft going has caused the entries to cut up in quantity somewhat but the £100,000 of prize money on offer over the two days means both meetings will still be laced with quality, so we should hopefully see some great racing,” said Ms Peplinski.
“Overall we’ve noticed a pleasant increase in the number of horses travelling to Perth thanks, in part, to the travelling stable staff relishing the improvement in equine logistics on site brought about by the new stable yard and Lodge accommodation.”
The Lodge, a new £2 million accommodation and stable complex, opened for business recently and was popular with people attending Rewind.
The 26-room facility and 40-cover restaurant will be much used by stable staff during race meetings and the general public during the rest of the year.
Gates for the Wednesday race meeting open at noon with the first race scheduled for 2.10pm and the last at 5.40pm.
