THE crowd is coming back to taste the air of Coleraine’s country racing scene this weekend, with Coleraine Cup day set to go ahead unrestricted after the last two years.

Coleraine Racing Club president, Rod Neeson said preparations so far had progressed “pretty well” and the most recent club meeting had left plenty of optimism.

“We’re just hoping that can grow on this one,” he said.

Although last year’s Cup meeting did go ahead, Covid-19 restrictions at the time left it unable to host a crowd, among other troubles.

Club manager, Elle Guthrie said occupancy limits meant temporary rooms and other facilities had to be set up to account for all jockeys.

“We had to bring in extra marquees to put up rooms … portable showers, portable toilets,” she said.

But with restrictions now behind the club, it’s full steam ahead towards Friday’s Cup meeting, with Ms Guthrie confident everything will be set to see the returning crowd.

“Really just dressing the place and making sure everything’s tidied up, ready to go,” she said.

“Bookings so far have been really strong.”

The club will also be showing off refurbished facilities to enhance the spectator experience.

“We’ve renovated our public bar with new furniture and heating and blinds,” Ms Guthrie said.

“Within that public bar, we’ve refurbished both the men’s and women’s bathrooms.”

The bar has also been equipped with memorabilia displays documenting the history of racing within the local area and community.

Among the collection are references to Dandy Andy, the horse who was locally trained by Jim Cerchi and went on to win the 1988 Australian Cup in Melbourne at long odds, beating out such famous favourites as Vo Rogue and Bonecrusher.

The dining room under the grandstand has also been fitted out with updates to the floor and the furniture.

And there’s not just the return of racing or the facility upgrades to look forward to, with the other usual attractions of a country racing day out set to impress.

“I know there’s a lot of people looking forward to fashions on the field,” she said.

It is also the first Cup meeting to invite the crowd down on a Friday, taking advantage of the long weekend.

“Moving to the Friday’s been a huge bonus, it’s already gained a fair bit of popularity,” she said.

“It’s a new day for us.”

Coleraine Cup day is this Friday, 23 September, during the AFL Grand Final public holiday.