• e-mail

With champagne corks popping and sun shining, you could say the Geelong Cup was a Runaway success.

Crowds roared as Gai Waterhouse's four-year-old gelding stormed past the finish line on Wednesday. 

Runaway's victory was a boost for local breeders who have endured a spring dominated by international stayers so far.

'You have to bow to their superior might and on the whole they are better stayers but today it was 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie'', Waterhouse told the Sydney Morning Herald.  

The Force was with one racegoer who opted for a black and white Star Wars suit for good day of fun in the sunshine at the Geelong Cup

Some punters were pictured high-fiving at the Geelong Races on Wednesday, the iconic meet is steeped in history, having been first run in 1873, and has since built up a reputation among punters

Three young woman were pictured enjoying some champagne as they posed for pictures in the venue's gardens, capturing the vibe of the day at the Geelong Cup on Wednesday

 It was certainly a meet to remember with many punters opting for colourful suits or bright summer dresses. 

The Force was with one racegoer who opted for a black and white Star Wars suit.

Two friends looked like they were enjoying their day at the races, both wearing flat caps and in a pink zebra print suit and bright floral suit respectively.  

Meanwhile another man was all smiles in his tartan suit while others were pictured high-fiving each other, possibly after a nice win. 

Ladies were also enjoying the day with a number of them being photographed across the venue.

Three young woman were pictured enjoying some champagne as they posed for pictures in the venue's gardens.   

There were a number of other interesting suit choices from the men which included pink zebra stripes and bright green flowers which stood out in the large crowd

 One man was all smiles in his tartan suit with a bourbon in hand at the Geelong Cup on Wednesday as thousands of punters turned out in support 

Fascinators are always a popular choice on any race day and the Geelong Cup was no exception with ladies showing off their classy outfits at Geelong's biggest racing event on Wednesday

A classic Ford car was also parked in the venue's gardens, giving punters a great photo opportunity which many took, including one woman in a flowing red dress who posed on the bonnet of the car. 

The Geelong Cup is traditionally run 13 days before the Melbourne Cup and is a good appetizer for Australia's favourite race.   

Punters of all ages and backgrounds were photographed across the venue lapping up the sunshine on a 17 degree day, with many being sure to let their hair down. 

A perfect photo opportunity was set up on the venue grounds with an old Ford set up for photo opportunities and a number of punters made sure to take advantage of it 

Every race day is also a chance to add a bit of elegance to proceedings as shown by this woman's simple yet elegant look at the Geelong Races

Friends pose for a photo while enjoying the Geelong Cup on Wednesday, the traditional precursor to Australia's favourite race, the Melbourne Cup

 The cup is known to attract anywhere from 15,000-20,000 people per year for the $300,000 race with three past winners going on to win the Melbourne cup two weeks later. 

Media Puzzle won the double in 2002, while French racers Americain and Dunaden both completed the double in 2010 and 2011 respectively. 

The big race was won by local horse Runaway, trained by the Waterhouse-Bott partnership, running home with $16 odds, joining the list of winners which includes Media Puzzle and Dunaden

The cup is known to attract anywhere from 15,000-20,000 people per year for the $300,000 race with three past winners going on to win the Melbourne cup two weeks later