KEY POINTS:
No, not Hong Kong's Sha Tin, it's Ellerslie. But not as you've previously known it.
Chinese New Year Lucky Dip Racing Carnival was its official name and the Auckland Racing board are right now perhaps justifiably congratulating themselves.
An estimated 20,000 Asians outnumbered less than one-fifth of that number of Europeans on a day that was quite bizarre.
Announcements in Cantonese and Mandarin blended in with George Simon's English race calls.
The raceday on Saturday had its beginnings in the Auckland Racing Club's 10-year business plan.
ARC chief executive Chris Weaver: "We wrote a marketing plan and identified the biggest growing segment of Auckland's population is the Asian community.
"We asked ourselves how we came up with a plan to get them along to Ellerslie.
"We had to chose between spreading our budget evenly between 25 race meetings and achieving very little, or spending it all on one raceday.
"A decision was made to target Chinese New Year this weekend."
With the help of Henry Ho, owner of the World TV Chinese television channel and a member of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the ARC advertised widely last week on two Asian radio stations as well as WTV.
"We didn't know whether we'd get 5000 or 10,000 or how many, but in the final few days we were told we'd get at least 10,000.
"We had 10,000 lucky number envelopes handed out for the first 10,000 through the gate and they went in the first hour."
The crush around the roads leading to Ellerslie created chaos.
It took most at least one hour to get onto Ellerslie and the official judge Dave Carter missed the first race, his chair being filled by the club's racing manager Andrew Castles.
The ARC threw open the members' stand for the day to embrace the visitors and it was full to capacity for the first four races.
"Not all of the crowd stayed all day, but there were still a lot there for the last race."
And, yes, the Asians did bet.
"We were 50 per cent up in tote turnover compared to the same meeting next year and of course we got the food and beverage turnover.
"Our aim to get 5 per cent of those who came long to return regularly - that would be a huge result.
"Next year we'll do racebooks in Cantonese and Mandarin because they couldn't understand the racebook and we'll have tipsters tipping to them through an interpreter."
