With race meetings across the country falling to the way-side or being discarded because of the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic, the Wellington Boot weekend is a rare bright spot in an otherwise thin racing calendar.
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While the showcase meeting of the Boot isn't until Sunday, and there'll be no crowds in attendance in order to prevent the spread of the pandemic, there still's plenty of opportunity for the Wellington Race Club to make the most of one of the year's biggest local racing events with an increased prize money for Saturday's main event.
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The gruelling, endurance event will test horse and jockey alike and take centre stage on Saturday, setting up a two-day racing spectacular likely to feature hundreds of nominations on just the first day alone.
Despite having become an iconic fixture in the annual Wellington Boot weekend of races, the Iron Horse, customarily held on the Saturday proceeding the Boot proper, has never quite held the same level of acclaim or interest.
While the race will still be playing second fiddle to the Wellington Boot this year, and for good reason with the Boot's prize money having been boosted to $200,000 mid-way through last year, the Iron Horse is getting a few upgrades of it's own, courtesy of a cash influx from some of the Boot's major sponsors, according to Wellington Race Club president Ian Darney.
"Over the nine races on that Saturday, we have one of our major sponsors kicking in a fair bit this year, they've put a bit more money into the Iron Horse race this time out and they've been very good to us," Darney said.
"I'm hoping we'll be able to keep going in that direction, carry that forward and throw a bit more money at the Iron Horse next year, that way we can keep on building it up and turn it into an even bigger event."
With the increased stakes, the 2400m event, a rare long distance challenge for prospective trainers that asks as much in endurance as it does in speed, will likely take on new life, even though the entire event was on life support until recently.
"I mean, I didn't think it would be going ahead, to be honest," Darney said.
The worries and concerns of the COVID-19 outbreak have permeated the racing season, but this weekend is set to be bigger than any other for Western trainers with both the Wellington Boot weekend and the Country Championships expected to take place.
"I keep constantly looking at my phone and checking my messages just so I can be sure that we're all good to go ahead and that nothing's changed," Darney said.
With everything in place for the races to go ahead, Darney's got reason to celebrate beyond just hosting an event, with a huge crop of nominations put forward for the Saturday alone.
"I think we're seeing over 150 nominations just for the races on the Saturday, which is a really good sign with everything going on," Darney said.
The Iron Horse race kicks off on Saturday, April 4, with several local trainers such as Garry, Karen, Dar and MIchael Lunn, as well as other Western figures like MIchael Plummer, Gilgandra's Bryan Dixon and Wyong's Damien Lane putting horses forward.
