WITH a ball, a five race program, Fashions on the Field and a huge after party - it was easy to see why the Roma Picnic Races remain one of town's most popular annual events.

On Friday night Bassett Park was packed out and guests dressed to the nines for the famous Picnic Races Ball.

Tickets had sold out long before the event, but the 370 people who managed to get their hands on a ticket partied long into the night.

The next day all eye on the track for the big race of the day, the Ostwald Brothers Handicap.

With $15,000 worth of prize money, the trainers were on the edge of their seats as Leslie "Bubba" Tilley on Pat Webster's Cash In A Hurry beat Matt Kropp on Fear No Other by 0.3 of a length.

John Patterson's La Cloisonne came in third.

Off the field, a huge crowd gathered for the Fashions on the Field competition.

Broncos legend Shane Webcke added celebrity status to the proceedings, joining the Fashions judging panel.

It was a hotly contested competition, with prizes including a trip to the Brisbane Marriott Hotel and thousands of dollars' worth of jewellery.  

Local beauty Bec Mickelborough won the coveted classic category, while Paige Lorell took home the prize for the contemporary category.

Roma turf club secretary Jackie Erickson said about 1,800 people came through the gate.