The Ouyen community is abuzz with anticipation.

More than 1000 people are expected to be trackside for the $25,000 Greggs Electrical Ouyen Pacing Cup.

Trainers will travel from as far as Melbourne, Adelaide, Horsham and Ballarat. Bus services will be run from Mildura to Blackburn Park.

Publican of the Ouyen Victoria Hotel, Rod Fuller, said it would be great for the community to see the cup return to its home club after being forced to relocate to Mildura in March 2005.

“It’s wonderful for the community, the feedback that obviously the harness club has received has been wonderful,” Mr Fuller said.

“You get a lot of South Australians involved as well because they’re strong in the harness racing and they don’t have the prize money that Victoria does, so they’re quite happy to come across here.”

Mr Fuller said the weekend should prove to be a hit for local businesses, suggesting the pub would do a roaring trade.

“You need things like this in small communities. It’s a chance for certain organisations to raise a bit of money,” he said.

“We’ll do a huge trade on Sunday. They’re saying there could be 2000 people there, so I don’t know how we’re going to cope.

“We should have never lost it in the first place, all these decisions are made in the cities and they don’t realise the effect they have on small country towns.”

Local hopes will be pinned on the Murray Jardine-trained four-year-old gelding Exsalont in race three, which is owned by a syndicate of 10 Ouyen people.

One of those in the syndicate is Helen Chisholm, who works at the Ouyen Newsagency.

After having to travel to Mildura for meetings over the last seven years, Ms Chisholm said it would be great for the local harness racing industry to see the event return to Blackburn Park.

“It was very disappointing for the community when the powers that be cancelled them,” Ms Chisholm said