![Settlers Arms owner Martin Mackay. Settlers Arms owner Martin Mackay.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/163574784/7dfd133e-94ff-42a8-9669-58e113530794.jpg/r0_0_4032_3024_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Get your fascinators ready and saddle the horses, Newcastle is preparing to host the first ever Dungog Cup.
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Set to be held on Saturday, March 2 at Newcastle Race Course, the Dungog Cup will be a day at the races with each race named after a business sponsoring the event.
Owner of the major sponsor for the day, the Settlers Arms Hotel, Martin Mackay, said that all the businesses that he has reached out to have been excited to participate.
"Everyone said it was a great idea and said lets push to promote the town and everything about Dungog," he said.
The idea came from Mr Mackay's friend, Anthony Fuge who has a close association with Newcastle Jockey Club.
Mr Mackay sees the link Dungog has with horse riding as the perfect catalyst to get the inaugural Dungog Cup up and running.
"The big thing is the relationship with Dungog and horses, equine pursuits. Dungog was a settlement that came about in around the 1820s, it's a day's horse ride from Clarence Town," he said. "It's steep country, it's horse country. There's now horse racing breeding coming into town, we have the camp drafting and the rodeo and dressage, every discipline of horsemanship. People need to know that we have a direct history and affiliation with horses and it continues today."
However the biggest outcome that Mr Mackay hopes to see come from the inaugural event is the exposure of Dungog as a tourist destination to people in Newcastle.
"It's about the town. We just want to get exposure for Dungog, we've got some fantastic businesses here and for the horse studs it's great exposure as well and hopefully that industry grows because of that," Mr Mackay said.
In total there are six sponsored races with Bell River Thoroughbreds, Cangon Stud Farm, Dillon and Sons Real Estate, Urban Angus, Lovey's IGA and Settlers Arms Hotel all getting a race named after them.
Mr Mackay anticipates that about 180 people from Dungog will travel by bus to the races. Unfortunately bus tickets are currently sold out, however regular tickets are still available to the Inaugural Dungog Cup. For more info or to book a ticket visit Newcastle Racecourse's website.