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HISTORY

By Mark Brassel

The highly successful The Championships theme spread to the NSW picnic racing arena in September 2016 with the inaugural NSW Picnic Champion Series first kicking off at Harden picnics, providing first points for the series.

"We are pleased to be supporting this concept and by staging a $50,000 event on a big day such as the Dubbo Gold Cup program will give these riders and horses plenty of exposure," said Racing NSW CEO, Peter V'landys AM at the time.

The idea of the NSW Picnic Champion Series was hatched by Deidre Adam, secretary of the NSW Picnic Racing Association, and Craig Tyack, president of Tullibigeal Picnic Race Club.

“The Series offers something worthwhile to picnic jockeys and trainers and is the first picnic TAB race in New South Wales,” Deidre Adam said. “The first couple of Series generated plenty of interest and has already helped improve horse attendance at our picnic race meetings.

"Instead of the qualifying heats in the Country and Provincial Championships, picnic horses will gain points at every picnic race meeting in which they compete."

The first Picnic Champion Series Final was held on Dubbo Gold Cup Day (September 2017) with Racing NSW providing $50,000 in prizemoney; the race being won by Security Code.

2017 - Nyngan trainer Rodney Robb (now retired) won the inaugural NSW Picnic Champion Series Final at Dubbo when Security Code and Maddison Wright edged out Black Fusion (Toby Lake) and Kinda Tangy (Billy Owen). The $4.20 favourite Double Halo (Ricky Blewitt) came in fourth.

2018 - Rodney Robb made it the perfect score when his galloper Austin (Mollie Partridge) bolted in with the Dubbo Final, scoring by a widening margin of just under five lengths. The horse was the well-backed favourite ($3.20 into $2.60) defeating Spinning Dawn (Wes Boyd) and Zaphod (Alan Barton).

2019 - It was trainer Mark Ward's Gadfly scoring in the Final at Dubbo with Brent Evans aboard - the horse having won three picnics races during the year including the Noorama Cup (Qld) and the Duck Creek Picnic Cup, as well as the NSW Picnic Champion Series Final. He beat Free Billy (Ridge Wilson) and Cooee March (Ashley Boyd).

2020 - Military Bay and Ashley Boyd raced away with the Picnic Champion Series Final at Dubbo for Scone-based trainer Mark Schmetzer, scoring by nearly three lengths from Another Plan (Wayne Wheatley) and the odds-on favourite, Rogue Runner (Maddison Wright).

2021 - Dubbo trainer Brett Robb combined with jockey Brent Evans when On A Promise (the firm $2.20 favourite) outclassed the opposition to win by nearly four lengths. Malibu Stacy (Leandro Ribeiro) was runner-up with Opera Tickets (Ricky Blewitt) holding down the minor placing.

Line of Law (Leandro Ribeiro) after winning the inaugural 2025 Showcase Picnic Sprint at Dubbo. Image by Janian McMillan (Racing Photography)

2022 - The Connie Greig-trained Hemsted took out the '22 edition at Dubbo when he powered home to score for Leandro Ribeiro beating Danspur (Grant Seccombe) by 1.5 lengths with Brooklyn Star (Shaun Cooper) finishing in third place a neck away.

2023 - Leandro Ribeiro was successful for the second successive time when Inzaghi raced away, again for the Greig stable, to score by nearly three lengths at Coonamble. Runner-up was Sons of Bourke (Zara Lewis) with Madison Point (Sebastian Galea) holding down third position.

2024 - Sebastian Galea on the Daniel Stanley-trained Bush Warrior repelled an eight-horse team from Connie Greig to take out the Final in a gripping finish from Greig's trio of Blackhill Kitty (Sally Faulks), Have Mercy (Todd Bailey) and Belle O'Ballee (Leandro Ribeiro). There was less than a length separating the foursome at Coonamble.

2025 - It was the first year that the Showcase Picnic Sprint was added at Dubbo over the shorter 1000m which was won by Line of Law ridden by Leandro Ribeiro and trained by Connie Greig. Ribeiro made it a perfect score by adding the Showcase Picnic Championship (1400m) on Avoid Me for his partner Julia Presits.

CONDITIONS: To qualify for the NSW Picnic Champion Series Final, horses acquire points for every picnic race meeting they attend in NSW and the highest-ranked horses at the end of the 12 months are then eligible to nominate for the NSW Picnic Champion Series Final.

All horses except Maidens are eligible to qualify (Clubs must be affiliated with the NSW Picnic Racing Association and use Approved Riders).