Summer’s last hurrah is fast approaching, so don’t pack away those sunnies or strappy heels just yet. The greatest wrap party — Auckland Cup Week — will be celebrated at Ellerslie Racecourse March 3 and March 10. There’s nothing quite like it...
For more than 160 years, crowds have flocked to the iconic location. This season, Auckland Racing Club plans to send-off an incredible summer of thoroughbred racing, with the very best in hospitality, entertainment and fashion. Spoil your senses at Auckland Cup Week 2018.
VODAFONE DERBY DAY
Saturday, March 3
Thoroughbred racing is known as the "Sport of Kings", so it's fitting that Vodafone Derby Day is when racewear royalty parade. Fashionistas are encouraged to dress to the nines to take to the runway to compete for their chance to be chosen as one of five people (four women, one man) who will each win 100,000 Hawaiian Airlines air miles.
What’s more, the top four females will also earn themselves a coveted spot in the day’s Viva Prix de Fashion regional final. They will join pre-qualified winners from fashions in the field events held at racecourses around the country to be in the running to be named the supreme national winner.
The overall winner takes home a prize package valued in excess of $15,000 thanks to Viva and earns automatic entry into Myer Fashions on the Field 2018 thanks to Victoria Racing Club. In keeping with global Derby Day tradition, the day’s style theme is black-and-white, but from fashion competitors expect also to see plenty of bright and bold outfits.
Out on the track, racegoers turn their focus from frocks to having a flutter. Watch the nail-biting Group 1 $1 million Vodafone New Zealand Derby. Place a bet and cross your fingers as world-class three-year-old horses thunder past the roaring crowd whose dreams are riding on an outcome just milliseconds away.
For those who want to see and be seen, gather a group and head to the fashion lawn to enjoy one of Cocktails &.’s bespoke creations, or buy tickets into the Garden Party or Cuvée (providing they haven’t sold out). Set in a prime location right opposite the winning post, Cuvée’s delicious food and glamorous crowd make it the ideal spot to sip on Champagne Mumm.
BARFOOT & THOMPSON AUCKLAND CUP DAY
Saturday, March 10
Auckland Cup Week culminates with one of the most important dates in the New Zealand racing calendar, Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup Day on Saturday, March 10. Equal parts iconic and prestigious, it is where thousands of Aucklanders and visitors come together to cheer home some of the country's best thoroughbred horses in this city's big race.
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Advertise with NZME.Eventgoers can indulge in mouth-watering fare, delicious drinks or a flutter on the horses. There will be exclusive activations from the likes of Champagne Mumm, Barfoot & Thompson and Cocktails &., plus the just-announced debut of a brand new party precinct, The Enclosure.
The day’s style guide encourages adding “a touch of blue” to outfits to help celebrate the namesake race’s long history with Auckland City. What’s more, those who really dress up for the occasion could win the day’s Hawaiian Airlines Style High Flyer fashion competition and one lucky racegoer will also win 100,000 Hawaiian Airlines air miles. Then, as the sun sets on another sensational season of racing, eventgoers can continue celebrating long into the night.
There is plenty of family entertainment as well to keep little ones occupied, available on both days, including free pony rides, a petting zoo and plenty more games and activities to send them home happy and exhausted! What’s more, children aged under 15 get free entry onto the racecourse. Plus, for drivers, there is free parking on site.
Gates: Open at 10.30am for both events. For more information, visit ellerslie.co.nz
COCKTAIL POP-UP
Attention all cocktail fans! Glamorous grown-up drinks offering, Cocktails &. is popping up for the first time at Auckland Cup Week and promises to be the place for racegoers to take time out to enjoy a cooling beverage in a stunning tropical-themed setting.
Located on the Fashion Lawn, home of the Viva Prix de Fashion runway on Vodafone Derby Day, Cocktails &. is inspired by the racecourse’s iconic Avenue of Palms. This exotic looking pop-up will be a visual treat, as well as one for your taste buds.
Select your favourite tipple from a bespoke cocktail menu, expertly crafted by mixologist Mikey Ball. Mikey is recently returned from London where he was head bartender at Dandelyan in the Mondrian Hotel, named world’s best bar at the cocktail world’s equivalent of the Oscars last year.
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Advertise with NZME.As well as delighting your palate, Mikey’s cocktail menu will pay homage to racing traditions and previous champions. Sample an ode to the Kentucky Derby’s world-famous mint julep in his Beaton’s Cooler, a drink that will delight whiskey fans.
If gin is more your thing, try a cocktail named to honour Nelson, a three-time Auckland Cup-Winning horse from the 1800s. The Flagship Nelson is a citrusy pink gin-based cocktail and the perfect refreshment on a hot summer’s day.
Cocktails &. will be open to racegoers over the age of 18 on both Vodafone Derby Day and Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup Day. Make sure your outfit is on point to enter this stunning space, as a dress code will apply.
VIVA PRIX DE FASHION
A day at the races is, second only to the horses, all about fashion, fashion, fashion. Which designer is she wearing? Where did she buy those shoes? Wow, look at that headpiece! The colours, class and pageantry of racewear create a spectacle you won't experience anywhere else.
On no day is it more worthwhile to shine than on Vodafone Derby Day, when the style-conscious compete to win the prestigious Viva Prix de Fashion competition — the culmination of a year of fashions in the field events.
In this hotly-contested competition, four women from the day’s Hawaiian Airlines Fashion Qualifier will join pre-qualified finalists from throughout the country in vying to be named New Zealand’s overall best dressed woman at the races.
With the national title comes a $15,000+ prize package and the chance to represent the country in Myer Fashions on the Field at the 2018 Melbourne Cup Carnival. The package includes prizes from Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Rescue Helicopter, SKYCITY Grand, GrabOne and Kathryn Wilson. Plus the winner takes home a $5000 package from Victoria Racing Club including entry into MYER Fashions on the Field 2018 at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
The men oncourse aren’t forgotten either with Hawaiian Airlines also sponsoring a menswear category — new in 2018.
Entry: The fashion competition is free for Vodafone Derby Day racegoers aged 18+. While Derby Day has the traditional black and white style theme recommended for racegoers, fashion competitors can choose to flaunt colourful outfits.
