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By Greg Prichard

The Manning Valley Race Club is hoping to take advantage of the peak of the spring carnival vibe around racing by moving its premier event - the Taree Gold Cup - to Friday, October 18.

The Cup will also have a new sponsor in Sky International as the club makes a proactive move to fit in where it will get the best result on the crowded racing calendar.

In recent years the Taree Gold Cup, which carries Big Dance race eligibility, has been run on a Sunday in the second half of November and before that it was held in August.

But now it will be staged on the day before the world’s richest race on turf, the $20 million The TAB Everest, is run at Royal Randwick.

“Racing is at fever pitch at that time,” MVRC CEO Damien Toose said. “It’s a time when people are very interested in racing and it’s the chance for us to get caught up in that good racing vibe that’s going around.

Sound And Vision wins the 2023 Taree Gold Cup (Pic: Trackside Photography)

“You’ll never compete with the Sydney racing and that’s not the point, it’s about trying to tap into that vibe that has people thinking about racing and maybe getting a bit of leverage off the rest of the racing that’s going on around us.

“The day before the TAB Everest and being a Friday afternoon and the warmer weather kicking in it should lend itself to people coming out and having some fun.

“Maybe Sunday in November wasn’t the perfect place for it, so you’re always looking at what you can do to improve your cup day or move it to a date where it’s going to be accepted better.

“Now it’s up to the club to put on a show day and encourage the community at the end of the week on a Friday afternoon to get involved.”

MVRC chairman Greg Coleman said the club was thrilled to announce the new sponsor Sky International and added there would be another important change to the Taree Gold Cup race-day schedule.

“The race-day will feature two of the district’s long-standing cup races with the Krambach Cup also being run on the same day,” Coleman said.

“The MVRC would like to pass on its gratitude to the previous Taree Gold Cup long-term sponsors Stacks Law Firm, who have supported the MVRC and the cup itself over many years."

Paul McRoberts, the Head of Sky International, reiterated the club chairman’s comments, saying: “Sky International is thrilled to be partnering with the Manning Valley Race Club through the sponsorship of the Taree Gold Cup.

“This new arrangement underpins Sky’s ongoing support of country racing in NSW."

Mr McRoberts added that “Sky International has been a long-term distribution partner of Australian racing by connecting to racing fans in over 60 countries globally.”

The MVRC declared the 2024 Sky International Taree Gold Cup day would be a great social day and celebration of the local community and invited racegoers from far and wide to come and experience a fantastic day of racing.

The Taree Gold Cup has been won by many fine horses over the years, including the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Military Mission in 2022. Military Mission has since gone on to win four times at Group level.

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