Jockey Ricky Blewitt aboard My Boy Lubby

    My Boy Lubby beat home $1.70 favourite Rozzi by .67 of a length with Win For Time, 8 lengths off them in 3rd place. (2019)

The Harden Picnic Race Club has cancelled its 2021 meeting after the committee was forced to look to 2022 with the current Covid-19 conditions making the event untenable within time frames.

   Club President Nathan Schofield said, “We are all disappointed with the fact we can’t have the meeting. We had a meeting 3 weeks  ago when we first went into lock down, then it got extended for another week or two so we decided to call it off.”

    It is the second year running that the club has had to cancel the local event which is the highlight of the twin town social calendar.

    Nathan said, “It doesn’t cost too much to run the club during the year but it would hurt us to go ahead and only get a crowd of a few hundred. It’s about survival.”

    The club has seen spectator numbers between one and two thousand over the last couple of years and is a family event, with a six race card. It is a great opportunity for picnic jockeys and horses preparing to have a run in a TAB race or those who are on the picnic circuit to get a run under their belt or aim for a picnic cup.

    “We talked to Brian Sharman about looking at another date, but you would be trying to coordinate with about 20 other clubs, the dates are set and ours is set for Cox Plate Day each year.”

      Nathan has been involved for 8 or 9 years and President for around five. He is ably assisted by Judy Stewart in the Treasurer’s role and Bec Pool in the Secretary role.

Well known former trainer Jack Whybrow and local Vet Ashley Halls fill in with the Deputy roles alongside a large and tight knit committee who rally around each other to prepare the track, slash and mow, order food and beverages and water the lawn areas.

   Nathan hopes that an event can be held in the new year where they will have some races with a few different animals including sheep. A novelty event that could work alongside a long table dinner and celebrate the offical opening of the new building which will kick the club and the community on into 2020.

There is little doubt that the community will be looking forward to the races next year, as much as the hard working committee will be.

   As they say, That’s Racing!