Brian Thompson: Addington Raceway CEO ahead of New Zealand Cup Day

Everything is looking up for one of the biggest days on Christchurch's social calendar. 

New Zealand's Cup Day is kicking off, with around 13 thousand punters expected to watch horse racing, fashion shows, and live music at Addington Raceway.  

Despite the early morning rain, Addington Raceway Chief Executive Brian Thompson told Mike Hosking he’s confident about how the day will turn out.  

He says once the gates open, it never rains on Cup Day. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Big day in the old hometown, New Zealand. Trotting Cup
Day of course, first run in nineteen oh four to
thirty two hundred meters classic. Brian Thompson's the Eddington Raceway
Chief Executive ers with us Brian morning jet A, Mike
K Gamete very well. Has it stopped raining?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah? The rain stopped, the winds died down, and I
can see the sun starting to poke through.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Because that's what happens on Trotting Cup Day, isn't it. It
never rains.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Nah, once those gates open, it never rains on Cup Day.
He'd know that.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
That is exactly right. So big crowd today, what are
we expecting?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
I reckon? We're looking around about that fourteen fifteen thousand
number numbers are up on last year and we're really
excited about and happy with them.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
To be honest, nice people. I was going to ask
you about the horses. What about the talent of the race.
Is it good? I mean, is the industry in good
heart horse once?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Yeah, we're positive and this race is going to be fantastic,
especially the itIt Trotting Cup. They're racing for a million
dollars at five point fifty three. Couple of Ozzies that
are coming over to try and steal the cup away
from the Kiwi's and probably leap the fame, which is
the I is probably favorite, but Republican Party are good
Kiwi horses pretty close, so it's going to be exciting race.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
The reason I ask about the horses the people there
for the horses are they're there for the entertainment oh
better both.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
To be honest, we give people a reason to dress up,
celebrate and have some fun with friends and family. There
are the infield, which we've got shape Shifter and Savage
starting after the last race, and plenty of DJs going
throughout the day. And we've got a silent rave k
for those people who have put some headphones on to
don effect the horse racing. But there's also a hospitality.

(01:39):
We've got a couple of new areas open this year
with the ned Lawn and Gray Goose Terrace. The hospital
numbers are looking really good. And you know, as we said,
we're just trying to give people from around Cantabrin and
probably further afield to a reason to dressed up and celebrate.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, you have the best of those, Brian, appreciate you time.
Brian Thompson, who's the Eddington Raceway chief executive, who doesn't
live about silent I love watching the Silent Rave Cave
on the news at night because you just have a
lot of pissed people with headphones on looking ridiculous, and
that's the best entertainment. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast,
listen live to news talks it'd be from six am weekdays,

(02:17):
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