THE Gawler & Barossa Jockey Club (G&BJC) is preparing for its biggest event on the calendar year – the Gawler Cup – which is expected to be bigger and better than ever in 2019.

The meeting – kicking off next Friday, October 25 at the Gawler racecourse – will again be held in the twilight timeslot from 11am until late, with live music expected to keep the party going well after the last race has concluded.

The event also coincides with Australia’s biggest Friday night race of the year – the Manikato Stakes – which will be streamed live from Moonee Valley in Melbourne to TV screens set up at the track for local punters to enjoy the action.

G&BJC chief executive Shane Collins said moving the racing to a later timeslot, which it did for the first time last year, has helped grow the Gawler Cup event as a whole.

“The twilight race meeting has ensured that we give patrons every opportunity to attend,” he said.

“We feel really confident that this maximises our valued patrons’ chances to enjoy the Gawler Cup on a wonderful evening platform.”

The past two Gawler Cups have been won by crowd favourite Lady Silhouette, for local trainer Gary Searle.

However, ‘The Lady’ was retired earlier this year, leaving the race wide open for a new wave of challengers.

“Lady Silhouette has been an amazing story for our Cup in recent times and will be missed,” Mr Collins said.

“We have some local horses being prepared for the race, so with still a couple of weeks to go I will be watching their preparations with interest.

“We love seeing our locals having success, especially on our big day.”

Another huge inclusion to the on-track action is the running of the Jericho Cup qualification heat.

Originally staged as part of a race meeting organised by the Australian Light Horse as an offensive against the Turkish Empire towards the end of the First World War, the Cup was reinstalled last year by the Warrnambool Racing Club and will be held on December 1 over 4600m.

The winner of the Gawler heat, which will be run over 3340m, will be guaranteed a start in the Jericho Cup, and Mr Collins said it will add a unique element to the Gawler Cup proceedings.

“We have worked hard on getting the South Australian qualification race for the Jericho Cup,” he said.

“Our cup meeting needs a point of difference and we will continue to work with Thoroughbred Racing SA in creating other races to make our Cup day a major event on SA’s racing calendar.

“We envisage that the Jericho Cup may help bring interstate trainers to our event, while giving SA trainers a unique opportunity for their stayers in qualifying for the iconic Jericho Cup.”

Throw in the ever-popular Kids’ Zone for families planning a day out with their children, a range of food vans on site, and the all-new Industry Marquee for valued racing industry people to eat and drink at, and the Gawler Cup truly does cater for everyone.

Mr Collins implored the community to head to the track for a great day at the races, and in doing so support the local industry.

“We hope our local people and visitors get along and enjoy what promises to be a wonderful event for the district,” he said.

“We are very proud to represent our great community here at Gawler on all local, national and international viewing platforms and hope everyone can enjoy celebrating it with us.”

General admission to the Gawler Cup is $15, concession is $10, while children under 16 are free.

For more information, call the Gawler & Barossa Jockey Club on 8522 1801 or visit its Facebook page.