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By Mark Brassel

Saturday kicks off Narrandera Race Club’s winter racing season – should the local kangaroos decide to stay away!

NRC’s Racing Manager, Michael Bailey explained the town in the central part of the Riverina region has seen little rain in recent times.

“We’ve pretty much been experiencing a drought down here but we’re lucky we have irrigation on the course proper, but that also brings with it other problems,” Bailey said.

Everyone can experience a country raceday under the big skies of the Riverina at Narrandera. Image by Jeff Hanson

“When there’s a drought all the kangaroos have very little to eat so they come down from the hills and paddocks at night to feed on our lush, irrigated track.

“Usually there’s hundreds of them and as you could imagine they are not very kind to our track.

“This always presents a challenge to not just racecourses, but also golf courses who are in the same boat.”

Saturday is Murrumbidgee Property Agents L.W. Peacock Memorial Raceday and honours a ‘Club Legend’.

“The feature race is named after Les Peacock who passed away in 1991, and we’ve been running the race in his honour for 28 years.

“Les was president up until 1987 when the Club was virtually bankrupt; he changed the whole structure when it was more like a laid-back picnic club.

“He had everyone getting involved in work bees and barbeques and we even sold scratch lottery tickets in the street just to pay the bank interest. We would’ve been closed down had it not been for Les.

“Les had the idea that we would turn it into a race club for everyone, and that’s why we don’t have a member’s section and free entry – its open to everyone.

“It’s a community club run by the people for the people!

“We had a grandstand that was falling down but now we have facilities that compete with any other NSW country race club.

“On Sunday we’ll have a six-race TAB program where everyone can experience a country raceday under the big skies of the Riverina.

“And a huge thank you goes out to all of our race sponsors including Community Bank Narrandera & District, Murrumbidgee Property Agents Leeton and Narrandera, Narrandera Ex-Servicemen’s Club, Mawson’s Concrete and Quarries, Griffith City Volkswagen, Narrandera Jewellers, Moses & Son Woolbrokers and Narrandera Signs.”

Next Sunday is the popular Coonamble Cannonball race meeting with an eight-race TAB program highlighted by the $35,000 Nutrien Ag Solutions Coonamble Cannonball (1100m) and the $50,000 Showcase Super Maiden Plate (1600m).

Already a couple of excellent Cannonball nominations have been received: Deion (trained by Brett Robb) who has won two of his last four starts at Mudgee and Warren, and Oakfield Badger (Kristen Buchanan) a five-time winner who was right behind the placegetters in a Rosehill Highway last time out.

The program is a Racing NSW Country Showcase meeting offering $275,000 in prizemoney with adult entry just $10. Unfortunately, last year’s Cannonball meeting was washed out.

Also next Sunday is Wauchope Cup Day held at Port Macquarie with some great hospitality options from Char Bar Catering, a TAB and bookmakers, and features the $40,000 Wauchope Cup (1500m) and $30,000 Wauchope Sprint (1000m).

UPCOMING NSW COUNTRY RACE MEETINGS
Monday: Grafton
Tuesday: Scone
Thursday: Lismore
Friday: Goulburn, Muswellbrook
Saturday: Narrandera, Walgett (non-TAB), Bligh picnics (at Mudgee, non-TAB)
Sunday: Coonamble, Wauchope (at Port Macquarie)