The sixth annual Deighton Cup takes place at Hastings Racecourse this Saturday and organizers have set the bar higher than ever.
Named after John “Gassy Jack” Deighton, the event that has been dubbed the most stylish in Vancouver is not just a regular day at the races.
Besides the eight horse races, it boasts a mixology competition that has bartenders competing to make their best variation of an Old Fashioned in front of a panel of judges, a luxury car show, a live band, a lawn to play pétanque (French bocce) — the list goes on. However, the most notable aspect of the event would have to be the crowd, who come decked out head to toe in their finest frocks and floppy hats, in hopes of being named the best dressed.
“We try to set a really unique atmosphere, but it’s the guests who really make it what it is,” said Tyson Villeneuve, cofounder of the Social Concierge.
Villeneuve and business partner Jordan Kallman worked with the owners of catering company Cocktails and Canapés to produce an event that would set a different tone for the city.
“One of the reasons we did it was, six years ago the no-fun city stigma was really strong. We wanted to do something that was completely different and give people a reason to get all dressed up,” Villeneuve said.
Drawing inspiration from the ’20s and ’30s, when horse racing was in its heyday, the event started out with 400 guests in 2008 and reached 2,000 participants last year.
Villeneuve said they are committed to bringing new components to the event every year and mixing things up. Up-and-coming band Miami Device, an 11-piece Afro-beat/funk band, will be performing and luxury cars will be on display at the Mile’s End Motors “Field of Dreams” car show. Then there’s the mixology competition with a judging panel that includes industry professionals like Canucks wine and beverages director Jay Jones and Save on Meats owner Mark Brand.
The event even has its own brand of beer, which will be debuting that afternoon.
“Whistler Brewing custom created a beer for us, a mint julep ale called the Deighton Cup ale,” Villeneuve said. “People will be able to sample it and buy growlers.”
Dan Jukich, an announcer at the racetrack for the past 24 years, said events that draw in a younger crowd and generate new fans have helped breath more life into Hastings Racecourse, which celebrates its 125 anniversary this year and has faced the risk of closure in previous years.
“The Deighton Cup is a great event because it brings in new people that can potentially become fans,” Jukich said. “These guys have put a lot of work into it and it’s become really successful over the years.”
Jukich said that the addition of casinos around the city give people other options for spending their entertainment dollars.
“Over the years, competition got fiercer and we have to change with the times to appeal to new demographics.”
Chuck Keeling, vice president of stakeholder relations and responsible gaming for Great Canadian Gaming, said racing has become a more event-based experience and agreed events like the Deighton Cup are beneficial to the business.
However, he said Hastings has drawn steady attendance over the years regardless of the main problem faced by the industry, which is a decrease in the number of horses.
“An area of success for Hastings, unlike many other tracks, has been the attraction of a younger demographic who seem to be lured to the racing experience because of the historical pageantry of racing, but also more practically, because it’s a really good time and can be done inexpensively,” Keeling said. “We believe the Deighton Cup taps directly into that attraction.”
