Racing: A big spread is a sure bet

A quiet recovery from Christmas Day excesses is not for everybody, judging by the spread being readied for punters at the Ellerslie races on Boxing Day.

For the more than 25,000 expected to turn out for the first day of the country's biggest week of racing - the New Zealand Herald Summer Carnival - food, drink and fashion will be in abundance.

More than 400 catering staff will carve through 1100kg of ham, fork out 300kg of scallops and prawns, knock the tops off 6000 dozen bottles of beer and uncork almost 6000 bottles of wine.

Ellerslie event centre manager Craig Fenwick said the Boxing Day meeting was the biggest of the year.

Staff had been preparing for two weeks, with marquees still being erected and containers of food and alcohol still being unloaded days out from the event.

The highlight of the day is the running of New Zealand's richest race, the $500,000 Mercedes Derby for 3-year-olds.

The meeting is day one of the four-day carnival, which includes racing on December 27, New Year's Day and January 3.

Glamour will mix with the cream of equine talent when hundreds of racing fans kitted out in their finest compete in the country's largest outdoor fashion event, the Mercedes Fashions in the Field.

Prizes worth $120,000, including a trip to Europe, jewellery and designer clothing, are up for grabs in the event, with a judging panel including All Black Doug Howlett and TV3 weather presenter Toni Marsh.

Mr Fenwick said there was a downside to hosting an event the day after one of the year's more festive occasions.

He said about 10 per cent of staff do not make it to work because of "illness" - and that figure jumps to almost one in three for the popular New Year's Day meeting.