Pictures from The Hunter race day at Newcastle Racecourse on November 12, 2022

Newcastle Racecourse was pumping all afternoon, with crowds flooding in to catch the world-class racing action.

It was the first iteration of the event without COVID restrictions since the inaugural meeting in 2019.

An estimated crowd of just under 5000 people had already walked through the entry gates before race five.

"It's outstanding," Mr Dowell said. "Novocastrians have really turned out to support the day and I'm ecstatic with the response.

"We put a lot of effort into getting people here to the races for the Hunter day and they've really owned it. It's good to know when we put this much effort in that we're getting a result."

Race goers were also treated to a hotly-contested Fashions on the Field competition, with categories including women's, men's, couple and millinery.

The women's category was won by Bryony Bourke, who made her own dress and headpiece for the event.

Kate Kohler, a stylist at Westfield Kotara, was at the races having a "girls day out".

She said it was great to see a lot of colour in the outfits among the crowd.

"Now we're out of lockdown, people are feeling better about being out and about and I think women especially are being more bold with their fashion choices," she said.

Doug McIver travelled up from Sydney with a group of friends for the day.

It was the first time the group had attended a Hunter race meeting - and first time was the charm.

"I'm four from four so far," Doug said.

"It's been great. You've got all the top jockeys and top trainers here, a lot of up-and-coming horses.

"We were hoping we'd have a blue sky because we've had so much rain, so many wet tracks, so it's a good day out."

Saturday's weather certainly helped keep the crowds happy, with a cloudless sky and a top of 25 degrees.

"That was the one thing we couldn't control," Mr Dowell said. "I was very relieved when I woke up this morning and saw sunny skies, so the racing gods were on our side."

And while he hailed the event as a success, the club has plans to grow it.

"It's only going to get bigger," he said. "We've got plans to make some changes to the precinct, which will allow even more people in.

"So it's really exciting times, epic today, but geez I'm really excited about what's to come in the future years."

WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.