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By Belinda Jane-Davis (The Land)

Newcastle Jockey Club will dedicate this Saturday's Polytrack Provincial Championships Qualifier Raceday to the Buy A Bale Hunter campaign in a bid to raise $100,000 for drought-stricken farmers.

Newcastle Jockey Club's CEO, Matt Benson - hopes to raise $100K for the Buy A Bale Hunter campaign

If they pull it off the money would pay for 900 bales of hay, which would feed 900 cattle for one week.

Racegoers will don their best country outfits for the event and the $10 to $15 entry fee will be waived in lieu of a donation to the campaign.

Country music artists will perform, there will be a farm animal nursery for the kids and a range of family entertainment.

Five race names will be sold, and other incentives will be announced, to entice supporters to dig deep.

NJC's CEO, Matt Benson, has a secret weapon that he hopes will generate an extra $8000 to $10,000. It will be announced in the coming days.

He said the club sympathised with farmers across the Hunter, who have been battling drought for a year, and wanted to help.

He challenged corporate Newcastle, and businesses throughout the Hunter Valley, to follow suit and support the cause: "Easter Saturday is a major raceday for us with the $150,000 Provincial Championships heat being staged and it’s a day we felt will hopefully generate decent dollars for a very worthy cause," said Mr Benson.

Read the full article here - NJC dedicates March 31 raceday to Buy A Bale Hunter campaign

Visit - 2018 The Championships

View race details for Newcastle's Polytrack Provincial Championships Day here