With more than $160,000 in prizemoney and trophies on offer, the Sunday, April 29 Tamworth Cup meeting looms large in a year where the club is also preparing to build a new multi-million dollar grandstand and function complex.

The club, which was to have raced yesterday before its eight-race TAB meeting was washed out and abandoned, now has a break of almost two months before it begins a run in to its April 29 Tamworth Cup, which is also a part of the Racing NSW Saddle Up Sunday series.

It’s an exciting time, president Tim Coates said.

“We’re looking at making the Tamworth Cup bigger and better,” he said.

“With Saddle Up Sunday, it means we can look at promoting it better in the media and helping get more people to the track.

“That’s what it’s all about.”

The Tamworth track will now undergo regular maintenance work, club operations manager Victoria Toy said.

“It’s a similar program we run every year,” Toy said.

“Nothing out of the ordinary but we will do some work on the drainage as soon as it is dry enough.”

All that runs into a Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 23, followed by a TAB meeting on March 31 and then the Mornington Prelude meeting on Saturday, April 14.

That all builds up to the April 29 meeting where the $60,000 Tamworth Cup (1400m) is the feature, with the $25,000 Mornington (2100m) the main support race.

“There’s also a Benchmark 70 1200m sprint worth $16,000 as well as three $12,000 races and two $10,000 races.

“That’s $160,000 all up for prizemoney and trophies on Cup day.

“And it’s about $330,000 plus for all four meetings,” Coates said.

He said Racing NSW was sending up Brittany Bird to help promote and organise its Tamworth Cup meeting.

“She’ll be here next Tuesday, meeting with local organisations to introduce them to Saddle Up Sunday and build the appeal for racing.”

Bird actually started with the Tamworth club before moving to the Scone Race Club and now to Racing NSW where Saddle Up Sundays have been running once a month.

Armidale hosted one of the first Saddle Up Sundays last November.