Riverside Racecourse was a place for family and friend catch-ups, and even birthday celebrations.

Among the crowd for the annual meeting were Juliana Zinger and Marina Tikhonskaya.

Zinger, who hails from Brazil, has been a regular at the races since moving to Gunnedah about three years ago after her husband got a job in the mines, but for Tikhonskaya it was her first experience.

The Russian native's story is similar to Zinger's, although she's been out here for a year less.

Looking resplendent in a pink eyelet dress and blush fascinator she was going for the 'country look' while for Zinger it was all about the 50s.

Another racegoer was birthday girl Rosie Galton, who turned six and enjoyed the day with family and friends.

For some, like Boggabri locals Margaret Ryan and Helen Martin, the Boggabri Cup meeting is an annual outing.

Same with Bill O'Brien and Mark Thistlewaite. They had slightly further to travel with Thistlewaite making the trip up from Kiama and O'Brien Branxton.

Others such as Greg Drury and Eveline Troucher it was more chance that they were there. En route from Moree home to Branxton, they just happened to stay in Gunnedah on Friday night.

It was for Drury familiar territory having raced horses at Gunnedah back in his training days.

On the track it was a good start to the meeting for the locals with the Gavin Groth-trained Sunglare storming home down the outside to clinch the victory in the opening race.

It was almost a one-two finish for the veteran Gunnedah trainer with Brett Thompson's Donna Emilia just pipping his other runner, Fort Jefferson, for second.

The feature race went the way of Ramsoming and Jeremy Sylvester in a thrilling finish.

Mid-field at the turn, jockey Patrick Scorse took the gelding out to the far fence and the four-year-old flashed home to get the win in a photo from Merv Rumble's Ogrim.