An agribusiness student and apprentice jockey have been chosen as the 2019 Faces of The Carnival.
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Will Peterson, 21, and Hollee Bohr, 19 were announced as the winners at the Murrumbidgee Turf Club’s Christmas Party Races on Saturday.
They are now ambassadors for the 2019 Gold Cup in May.
Mr Peterson, who studies agribusiness management at CSU Wagga, said he was “pretty stoked” about winning.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be a part of,” Mr Peterson said.
“It’s a great chance to network with those in the industry and get my foot in the door.”
It was the first time Mr Peterson was nominated.
He said he would do his best to “promote the Gold Cup in a way that can get all people to the races”.
In an earlier interview, Ms Bohr said she liked the whole build-up to the Gold Cup.
“I also love that it brings the community together,” she said.
MTC CEO Scott Sanbrook said the standard was extremely high.
“I’m sure that the two winners would represent MTC really well,” Mr Sanbrook said.
“They go on all promotional materials and they’ll big big parts of the months leading to the Gold Cup.”
Prior to the event, entrants were judged at a dinner where directors, staff of the MTC and representatives from the Daily Advertiser met with the entrants to get to know them better.
The judges looked for presentation, elocution, personality manners and maturity and the ability to appeal to wide range of Gold Cup Carnival patrons.
Christmas Party Races a success
Meanwhile, the hot weather did not deter racegoers from Wagga and other regional areas from attending the Christmas Party Races.
More than 1200 people, including some from Parkes, Wollongong and the Central Coast, attended the annual event at the Murrumbidgee Turf Club.
Nadia Bulgin from the Central Coast is on a teaching placement as part of her studies.
She said the races were one of many things to love about Wagga.
“We love Wagga, it’s so lovely,” Ms Bulgin said.
“There’s a lot of history to the towns around here.
“We’re here for four weeks and we’ve got one more week left.”
The event featured children’s entertainment, including a water slide, foam cannon, jumping castle and a visit from Santa.
A highlight on the track was the James Green Memorial 2018 Silver Spoon – a race for grey horses only.
Making the three-hour drive from Parkes to Wagga was Leanne Murray.
She was one of 13 who got up at 5.30am on Saturday to attend the races.
“We had lunch in the Victory [Memorial] Park and just came to the races,” Ms Murray said.
“We’ll have breakfast at the chocolate factory and then go home.
“I’ve never been [to Wagga].”
MTC CEO Scott Sanbrook said it was a “very strong, solid crowd”.
“We did have a washout last year, so we’re very happy with the turnout this year,” Mr Sanbrook said.
“There were a lot of businesses, social and sporting groups, and families.
“It’s helped kick start the festive season.”
With the temperature reaching 32 degrees Celsius on Saturday, Mr Sanbrook said everyone stayed safe and kept hydrated.
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