Narrabri Jockey Club hosted its annual race meet on Saturday 23 March, with over 1000 spectators in attendance. The day commenced with gates opening at 11.00am and racing starting at 1.00pm.
Crowds gathered at the Narrabri Racecourse, drawing attendees from near and far, including patrons who travelled from Coonabarabran, Bingara, Tamworth, Sunshine Coast, and Brisbane to be part of the event.
“It was a fantastic day of racing, the track was in good condition and the weather was perfect.” said Narrabri Jockey Club President Will Childs.
This race meet marked the return of the popular community event since 2022, due to flood damage sustained to the road and track cancelling last year’s event. It also represented the debut meet organised by a predominantly new committee, which came together in late 2023. The addition of numerous fresh faces has revitalised the club, enabling pre-race day tasks to be distributed among many, which has lightened the workload.
“Being a relatively new committee, a lot of us had not been through the process of delivering a race meet. We were thankful to have the experience of long-term committee members guiding us through.” said Will.
“With one successful event under our belt, the committee is eager to determine areas of improvement and leverage areas that worked well so we can put together an ever bigger and better event next time.”
“From feedback received from race officials, trainers, jockeys, and patrons we’ve managed to deliver a well-run race meet. “
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the turn out by the community who came out to support us. Having over 1000 people in attendance was great.”
The six-race program showcased trainers and jockeys who travelled from both local areas and across the state, spanning the Mid-North Coast, New England, and Hunter regions, and even interstate, to partake in the event.
Taking out the 1200m Qube Agri Narrabri Cup was 4 year old bay gelding Crowie’s Shout, ridden by jockey Shae Wilkes and trained by Marc Quinn, Port Macquarie. The 1500m Hutcheon and Pearce Wee Waa Cup was won by Miss Nicolini, ridden by Siena Grima and trained by Craig Martin, Tamworth.
“The committee have put in the hard yards for the past four months. Most afternoons and weekends members have been out at the racecourse tending to the grounds and track in preparation for race day.” said Will.
“I am pleased with the way the course and trackside areas were presented and thank the committee for their dedication in giving up their time to ensuring grounds were in mint condition. All the hard work has paid off for this year’s event.”
“Thank you to our sponsors and the many volunteers who contributed to the races, be it assisting on the day, or giving us a hand at the working bees. We appreciate everyone’s support.”
“We look forward to building on this success and being able to provide more race meets for the community to attend in the future.”
Results
#1 JA Smith Solutions Maiden Plate (1000m)
Horse: Harmonica Miss
Jockey: Cobi Vitler
Trainer: Nikki Pollock
#2 Nutrien Ag Solutions Class 1 Handicap (1200m)
Horse: Under Le Temps
Jockey: Cobi Vitler
Trainer: Nikki Pollock
#3 Australian Food and Fibre Class 1 handicap (1500m)
Horse: Hallowed Son
Jockey: Siena Grima
Trainer: Wayne Brown
#4 Hutcheon and Pearce Wee Waa cup Benchmark 58 handicap (1500m)
Horse: Miss Nicolini
Jockey: Siena Grima
Trainer: Craig Martin
#5 Qube Agri Narrabri Cup (1200m)
Horse: Crowie’s Shou
Jockey: Shae Wilkes
Trainer: Marc Quinn
#6 Max Orman Toyota Benchmark 50 Handicap (1930m)
Horse: Caoimhe
Jockey: Cobi Vitler
Trainer: Sally Torrens
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