"We are certain now that the Christmas/New Year meeting will go ahead," says Auckland Thoroughbred Racing chief executive Paul Wilcox.
"What we don't know it how big a crowd we can have."
If Auckland remains at its initial traffic light system setting of red through Christmas then Ellerslie could potentially host pockets of 100 people, with owners of horses racing on the big days the group likely to be given first option for tickets.
That setting would produce a Boxing Day-lite feel to one of the iconic meetings of the year but at an orange setting Ellerslie could move to something far closer to a normal carnival but with all patrons needing to be double vaccinated.
"We have a bit of wriggle room on that yet but these decisions are something we are going to need to start firming up in about two weeks," explains Wilcox.
"It a fortnight or so we are going to need to make a call on whether we start bringing in the infrastructure needed for things like an infield crowd and more public so if we are at the orange level or have been told we are heading there we can start planning for that.
"But if we are not then we will need to make the call on planning for that far smaller crowd.
"Our main priority and the thing we can control at the moment is putting the races on for the industry and our dream scenario is having crowds welcomed back here for those two days and the whole summer." Wilcox said the decision to cancel the twilight meeting on December 9, while disappointing, was driven by the fact that the huge crowd and subsequent turnover generated for the industry wouldn't be possible at a red setting while the Auckland Covid border still wouldn't be open so Ellerslie faced not having enough jockeys to hold the meeting.
Alexandra Park has been able to continue racing at Level 3, with enough drivers north of the Covid border, so their December carnival was never in doubt but will now be able to welcome horsepeople from other regions for their December 17 meeting, which features the group one Queen Of Hearts.
The changes to the harness racing calendar mean December no longer hosts the Auckland Cup or National Trot so the meetings next month will be just as much about trying to entertain a pre-Christmas and New Years Eve crowd as they will the standard of racing.
"How big we can go on that will depend on the traffic light level we are at," says ATC boss Mauro Barsi.
"Right from Friday week we are going to be able to have the TAB and the Alex Park and some other areas open even at the red level.
"But how many guests we can open up to for the two Fridays after next week (Dec 10 and 17) as well as New Years Eve will depend on whether we get back to the orange level."
Barsi says with the Auckland Cup itself moving to late May the New Years Eve meeting may be reduced in scale of celebration and some of that investment put into the new Harness Millions meeting on February 12.
"That might be the night we go big on things like the fireworks and making a night of it but the main thing is we are still going to be racing in December and will have people allowed back."
