With family ties to the racing industry that hark back to the late 1800s, it’s no surprise that Darwin businessman Shane Dignan rates the Darwin Cup Carnival as one of his favourite events on the Top End social calendar. 

Fond memories of childhood holidays caring for horses at his uncle’s farm, plus numerous jockeys, trainers and bookmakers in the family tree, prompted Shane to invest in his first racehorse in the early 2000s. 

Now, over two decades later, his passion for racing has grown along with his Darwin-headquartered company DCOH, which continues to be a long-standing supporter of the Darwin Turf Club and the iconic cup carnival. 

DCOH is sponsoring the Darwin Guineas Day on Saturday, July 4, for the third year running. 

“It’s the event that launches the carnival, and as proud sponsors, we’d love to see the trackside full of racegoers enjoying a fantastic day out,” Shane says. 

With race-day preparations well underway, he hopes to see several of his horses involved in the carnival. 

“The older I get, the more I realise it’s in my blood,” he says. 

Shane says the thrill of the chase is as relevant in business as it was in racing. Although his great-grandfather Thomas Daffy favoured green silks and a red cap – colours still used in his uncle’s stables in Victoria – these days Shane has a soft spot for another colour combination: red, white and blue. 

Those are the brand colours of his rapidly-expanding company, with growing interests in development, construction, operations and hospitality. 

Family-owned and operated, DCOH and its associated divisions bring nearly four decades of experience delivering projects in the Northern Territory, with a workforce of more than 300 employees and a recent expansion into Victoria’s construction industry. 

“There’s a great team at DCOH, an excellent culture, and plenty of fantastic projects in the pipeline. But it’s not just about innovative investments – it’s about giving back to the Territory, supporting the local economy and investing in events that put Darwin on the map.” TQ 

DCOH DARWIN GUINEAS DAY JULY 4 – DARWIN TURF CLUB