KATE NEWTON
Fillies such as Chanelle Bullock (left) and Anna Grieve (right) will be more fashionable and stallions like Doug Grieve (centre) more spruced when more than 200 young people raise their cocktail glasses to a new club aimed at bringing younger people back to the races tomorrow.
A retro lounge
and wine barrels to lean on will replace the usual tiered seating in one section of the public grandstand at tomorrow's Hawke's Bay race day.
Club Festivus is an attempt by Hastings man Doug Grieve to attract more 20 to 40 year-olds back to the Hastings racecourse.
Doug, 34, came up with the idea for Club Festivus after recognising other people his own age didn't share his passion for going to the races.
"I could see why they weren't coming. It wasn't set up for young people" he said.
"When you came to this racecourse before it was quite disjointed. You didn't run into like-minded people.
"But now young people can come along and know most of the people in the room."
Doug has sold 200 Club Festivus tickets to people aged between 20 and 40 for tomorrow's meet and only 50 tickets are left.
Wellington band Hiptet will play in between races and on into the night tomorrow.
"It's a move away from strictly racing," Doug said.
There will also be spot prizes for best dressed male and female and the best hat.
Tomorrow's party costs $85. A year's Club Festivus membership costs $65 and runs from July this year so members who join for tomorrow's meet get free entry to the lounge for three months. Non-members have to pay an extra $20 each race day. Club Festivus tickets are available by e-mailing Doug at tickets@tastehawkesbay.com.
Tomorrow's first race is at 11.20am with the big race, the Davmet Hawke's Bay Cup, at 3.25pm.
