Thousands of patrons, including locals and visitors, watched a full slate of races track-side while the kids engaged in numerous free activities.
There was plenty of action to start the day as four-year-old gelding The Sweeney took out the Border Inn Maiden Plate.
Three-year-old filly Coco De Luxe took the chocolates in the second race, the Caledonian Hotel Maiden Plate before Echuca trainer Rhys Archard got a victory through his own three-year-old filly Carnival Riches in the edg.projects Maiden Plate.
As the day went on, Ollandia Beach proved better than the rest in the Moama Bowling Club Handicap, before Aka Daka reigned supreme in the Carlton Draught Handicap.
Races six and seven were taken out by Wareo Road and Zenacity, respectively
Reflecting on the event, Echuca Racing Club track manager Jarratt Farley said it was the club’s most successful New Year’s Eve Family Fun Day in his tenure.
“We are pleased with the day, the crowd is good,” he said.
“Normally for this sort of event we sell about 65 to 70 umbrellas; this year, we’ve sold 101 umbrellas, so that’s a big increase.
“Pre-sale general admission was up 25 per cent, and all our courtesy buses from the caravan parks around town were all full when they rocked up.
“The weather's quite nice and there's so many kids, families and everyone's here having a good time.
“It’s my second year in the job, and to get this event to this stage already and know that there's so much more room for growth is really exciting.”
Farley said the club wanted to focus on making New Year’s Eve an affordable day for patrons and give families a fun day out during the holiday period.
“We’re really big on making this a family day; hence that’s $10 per adult to get in,” he said.
“So, a family of five can have a good day, kids are free, so $20 bucks to get through the gate.
“We really focus on that, especially this time of the year when there’s so many tourists and visitors in town just after Christmas.”
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