Weather frighteningly good for race punters

Workmates Casey Tarau, Sam Irvine, and Trudy McKenzie chose a Halloween theme for their day out with Pathlab BOP at the Tauranga Christmas at the Races. Photo / Andrew Warner

A scarecrow, frightening pumpkin, and a surgeon were among the hundreds of punters who gathered to take part in the Christmas at the Races.

The Saturday event is the first of three which traditionally attracts social gatherings, work Christmas functions and traditional races fans to the Tauranga Racecourse.

Casey Tarau from Pathlab Bay of Plenty joined her workmates for their annual get-together at the races dressed in scary Halloween costumes.

Tauranga Races. Number 10 Mime ridden by Matthew Cameron in the Back to Black 1300.

"Each year we do a different theme and when the race calendar came out and we saw it was on the 31st, we thought Halloween dress-up would be perfect," Ms Tarau said.

Ms Tarau said it seemed as though fewer people struck it lucky this time around.

"But people seemed to be putting in their bets at the beginning and spent the rest of the time socialising," she said.

"The weather was perfect."

The event also hosted a unique All Blacks support race, where horses raced with a message of support for the All Blacks on their hind quarters.

The winning horse of Race 7 was number 10, the same number of Dan Carter who was named man of the match from yesterday's Rugby World Cup final.

Racing Tauranga Business development manager Don Paterson said rugby and racing had long been part of our culture and it was important for the industry to get behind the All Blacks.