Albany Harness Club set to host highly anticipated Denmark Cup as part of bumper nine-race program

The final meeting of Albany Harness Club’s season will take place on Friday night, headlined by the Denmark Cup.

A field of 10 runners are expected to contest the $11,000 MCC Contractors Denmark Cup (2265m).

The Barry Howlett-trained pair Sadhita ($2.30) and State of Heaven ($3.50) are set to start as favourites for the feature race at 8.05pm.

Tux And Tails, the recent winner of the Harry Capararo Memorial Sprint, is entered for trainer Lang Inwood while Trois Fontaine is another runner expected to race well for Jemma Collins.

AHRC president Ken Davies said there was excitement building ahead of one of the most highly anticipated meetings of the season.

“It’s a pretty prestige event for us, we’ve got nine races which is a lot and it’s highlighted by the Denmark Cup,” he said. “We’ve put on a pretty special event to make it a family night in terms of bouncy castles and face painting.

“There are raffles for the kids and we’ve got live music from 7-10pm with a local band.”

Davies was thrilled to see the continued growth of harness racing in the Great Southern.

“In terms of horse numbers and racing it’s probably been one of the most successful seasons ever and the weather has been kind to us,” Davies said.

“The patronage has been really good, we’ve put a lot of time and money into making sure the track and the amenities and the infrastructure are up to speed.

“It’s been a great season, the pony trots have been really good and that’s always positive to see the new generation of kids coming through.

“We’ve had people who have transferred from other parts of WA to live down here and to progress the industry through breeding, training and getting horses from Perth to race here.

“There is lots to like at the moment in terms of why the industry is blossoming in Albany — the climate, the availability of land and the fact that the track down here and the facilities are second to none.”

The nine-race card starts at 6.07pm on Friday.