CROWD behaviour at the Bendigo Cup has come a long way since the 1990s, says a policeman who has been on duty at the cup 18 years in a row.
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Acting Sergeant Peter Dyer said yesterday's event was the best behaved cup he had ever seen.
Police breath-tested 2300 people during the day with one booze bus and four preliminary breath test points and caught only one person who tested positive for methamphetamine and cannabis.
Another person was caught drink-driving but they were not a patron of the cup.
"The figures speak for themselves," Acting Sergeant Dyer said.
He said cup attendees deserved a "pat on the back" for behaving so responsibly.
"Eighteen years ago it was anarchy, it really was. It was out of control," Acting Sergeant Dyer said.
"People were allowed to BYO to the races. We had a lot of problems."
He said people would bring a lot of alcohol, get very drunk and start fights.
The acting sergeant said he had noticed a different demographic attending the Bendigo Cup these days.
He said the cup was a more family-friendly event where people wanted to dress up.
"It has become a bit more a classy event and the people that tend to go to those type of events are better behaved people.
"The best thing that happened was the losing of the BYO."
Acting Sergeant Dyer said he noticed race-goers yesterday taking extra care to avoid driving home.
"A lot of people were being picked up by other people which was great to see," he said.
"Quite a few cars were left at the races which is an indication of them making the decision not to risk driving if they had had any alcohol."
Shuttle buses were the choice of transport for many cup guests.
"We’re happy the message is getting through but we want the message to get through on every day of the year, not just Cup day," Acting Sergeant Dyer said.
