Kerre Woodham: Race cheer gets pricier

Punters enjoy a few beers during the Boxing Day Races at Ellerslie. Photo / Steven McNicholl.

I have fond memories of the Boxing Day races at Ellerslie. When my mum and I became minor members of one of the Moroney brothers' syndicates, our very first horse won the 2-year-old sprint. Although we were such minor stakeholders we didn't make a fortune from Flying Class' winning purse, we cleaned up at the TAB.

It paid for my daughter's school uniform that year.

All of the horses from that syndicate won at least one race each and I couldn't understand why more people didn't have racehorses.

Until I joined the second syndicate. Ah, well, I suppose all good things come to an end.

And in that fashion, the good old days of being able to bring your own booze to the Boxing Day races are over.

This year, for the first time, punters won't be allowed to take their tipple to the track. The chief executive of Auckland Racing Club, Chris Weaver, says the club is simply coming into line with other major events by trying to be responsible hosts.

Allowing people to bring their own booze makes it difficult to monitor how much people are drinking, he says.

If racegoers' chilly bins were piled high with Lion Reds and not bacon and egg pies, who was to know?

Although the Boxing Day races can't be compared to the league test at Eden Park, Weaver was able to cite an alcohol-fuelled act of idiocy in which a moron tried to drive his car from the infield on to the track to race the horses.

Weaver says they are trying to pre-empt trouble by banning BYO and thus ensure the Boxing Day races remain a fun, family-friendly great day out.

To compensate for the abolition of a time-honoured tradition, the club has gone all out in its entertainment zone. There'll be a beach cricket tournament, top New Zealand bands and themed bars - where trained barmen will no doubt keep an eye on patrons to ensure they don't drink more than Alac's recommended allowance.

Yeah. Right. People with a mind to will still over-indulge and although I'm sure Weaver has the smooth running of the race day in mind with the abolition of BYO, there must be a little part of a canny CEO who sees a lucrative business opportunity in clipping the ticket every time a glass is raised.