The Emirates Park Scone Cup Carnival will run over two days on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16.

Scone Race Club’s chief executive officer Sarah Wills said she was excited by the early demand for tickets and the high-quality fields on offer.

“Ticket sales are up a little bit on last year at this stage and a lot of our sponsors are still to book in, so it’s going really well,” she said.

“There’s a bit of a buzz around it; it’s a bit of a break for the trainers and owners to come here and enjoy a bit of country hospitality in between carnivals.

“We’ve had good early indications from trainers that they’re going to have some very good horses here for the carnival.

“Scone is very high on their radar with such high prizemoney.”

Wills said this year’s event would have a few subtle additions to add to the experience.

“It’ll be pretty much the same as the past few carnivals; we’ve got a formula that we think will work,” she said.

“But we’ll have mobile phones charge stands this time; it’s such an important thing for events these days.

“In previous years, we’ve not been able to provide a good bus service because of the school runs and things like that.

“So now we are working closely with our event management team – and they have a bus specialist.”

Buses will run from Muswellbrook and Aberdeen at a cost of $20 return, while racegoers can also be picked up in Scone for a return fee of $10.

Wills said the race club could not continue to pay for the entire bus service.

“If we get patrons to pay for the service, then we can provide a much, much better service,” she said.

Racegoers wanting to catch a bus home are able to purchase a ticket at the exit.

The feature races for the carnival will include the Darley Dark Jewel (Group 3), the Emirates Park Scone Cup and four other Listed races as well as the $400,000 Inglis Guineas.

A Fashions on the Field event is also a part of the carnival, and it attracts a large group of competitors.