IF ONE CLUB DESERVES A CHANGE OF LUCK IT IS GUNBOWER RACING CLUB, WHICH HAS A RICH HISTORY WITH HORSE RACING STRETCHING BACK TO 1881.
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The club, made up of volunteers, stages the once-a-year Gunbower Gold Cup meeting.
But the cup has not been run and won since 2019.
Belinda Nurse and Kelly Karty during the Gunbower Cup. Photo: Cath Grey
Photo by
Cath Grey
COVID saw the race cancelled in 2020 and 2021, and after much work in the lead-up, the 2022 cup meeting was postponed just five days out due to a spate of wet weather.
Despite the hammer blows, the Gunbower Racing Club has stuck solid and the volunteers are all hard at work to ensure the 2023 Moama Bowling Club Gunbower Gold Cup is the best yet.
“We had two blokes out there yesterday morning with the mower and whipper snipper,” GRC president Vicki McGillivray said.
“There is a tremendous group of people on the committee, who all volunteer their time and work together to ensure the Cup meeting is a success.
“We get terrific support from the schools and service clubs, it is a race day which brings the community together.”
Vicki said the impacts of the past few years had not dimmed the enthusiasm of racegoers, who are keen to be trackside when the 2023 edition of the cup is run and won on Saturday, October 7.
“We’ve had very strong bookings from Geelong, parts of Melbourne, Bendigo and Cobram,” she said.
“Hopefully we’ll get a crowd around the 2500 mark which would just be terrific.”
The Gunbower Cup is a race known far and wide for the exploits of the late racecaller Jack Styring.
Jack, who passed away a week short of his 93rd birthday in February 2022, called a staggering 60 Gunbower Cups from 1952 to 2010, a feat recognised by the Guinness Book of Records.
Vicki said the club would run shuttle buses from Cohuna, Barham, Koondrook, Kerang and Echuca, in addition to transporting Gunbower residents to and from the racecourse.
The Fashions on the Field will feature a prize pool of $10,000 across the six categories — classic lady, stylish gentleman, stylish lady, stylish teen (male and female) and stylish filly and colt (for children aged five-12 years).
The kids will be entertained with a series of free activities provided by The Zone Bendigo, Kelly Sports and Chillair Studios.
For more information on Gunbower Racing Club, visit country.racing.com/gunbower
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