Mortlake Racing Club president Jason Hughes said while the club was unsuccessful in winning the award last month, it was an honour to be one of the five racing clubs from the 62 in the state to be nominated by Country Racing Victoria.

Mr Hughes said the club had built up attendances at the cup meeting — the town’s only race meeting for the year — from 650 in 2010 to about 2000 last year.

The increase had been achieved by building up links with the community and marketing the cup meeting as a great social day. The meeting included children’s entertainment as well as a fashions-on-the-field competition and linked in to other social gatherings, Mr Hughes.

Last year it had been the venue for a reunion of people associated with the former Mortlake football club.

Mr Hughes said while the race meeting was a celebration of the Mortlake community, it also drew people from Warrnambool, Ballarat and Geelong.

The next Mortlake Cup meeting will be held on Derby Day, November 1, this year.

Moyne mayor James Purcell said the meeting’s nomination had shown the club could deliver a great day out for racegoers that was equal to the best in the state.

In other developments to support the state’s horse racing industry, western Victorian racing clubs will be among those to benefit from two major country racing marketing campaigns during the Spring Carnival and in the lead-up to Christmas. 

Country race clubs and Country Racing Victoria are providing $552,000 for the marketing campaigns with the state government chipping in a further $300,000, derived from on-course wagering taxes.

A key element of the marketing campaigns is the countryracing.com.au website.

 ehimmelreich@fairfaxmedia.com.au