THE Gawler and Barossa Jockey Club – that is about to unveil its new equine pool – is preparing to fill the Easter Monday void created by the revamped Oakbank carnival.
For the first time, the club will stage SA’s standalone meeting on Easter Monday, April 13, after an overhaul of Oakbank’s carnival will see it culminate with its Easter Saturday meeting.
The programming change means racing will be held within one of SA’s iconic wine regions across every day of Easter, with Oakbank and Clare hosting on Saturday, Penola representing Coonawarra on Sunday, and Gawler representing the Barossa Valley on Monday.
Hosting the Monday meeting is a major boon for the Gawler and Barossa Jockey Club, according to club CEO Shane Collins.
“Gawler is excited to be racing on such an iconic weekend and looks forward to supporting the Clare and Oakbank carnivals over Easter,” Collins said.
To further boost its newest race day, the club has moved its traditional Barossa Cup feature event from May to Easter Monday.
“We look forward to establishing another blue-ribbon race day to our yearly calendar,” Collins said.
“It’s going to be a family-friendly day at the races on Easter Monday, before people go back to work and school on the Tuesday.”