The annual St Pats race meeting will return to an 8 race program this year after being restricted to 6 races in 2021.
“It is great news for our club“, St Pats President Margaret Corradini said.
“We were only allowed by Racing NSW to conduct 6 races last year due to Covid-19 but this year they have agreed to allow us to hold the 8 races.“
“The extra 2 races brings more horses to the races and will attract more trainers, owners and connections as well.“ Mrs Corradini said.
On being notified prior to Christmas the Club managed to source additional sponsorship a result that delighted the Club President
“The local business community has been amazing many of them have had a terrible time with lockdowns and trading restrictions but the response to our sponsorship requests has been both overwhelming and generous.“
The Club has also received major financial and in-kind support from key backers the Broken Hill Community Credit Union, Radford family, Broken Hill City Council, the BHP Hotel and Foundation Broken Hill.
“Without this support we would not race,“ Mrs Corradini said, “We cannot thank them enough.“
POSTER RELEASED
The 2022 race poster has been distributed and this year features the amazing art work of Deanna Spicer.
Ms Spicer said the design compasses the things she loves about St Pats Race Day, the fashions and the atmosphere created in the betting ring.
In the illustration, on the bookies board she has used the names of horses that raced in the first St Pats Race meeting.
“We are so appreciative of what Deanna has provided for the poster,“ Mrs Corradini said.
“It is an amazing piece of work that showcase all that is our event.“
BOOKINGS ROLLING IN
The St Pats office may not yet be open but the club has been handling numerous enquiries via email and facebook mainly from interstate as visitors look to secure their tickets for the March event.
The former Rural Bank in Broken Hill will be using the race meeting for a reunion with 50 people already booked in while the North Cricket Club will also be using the weekend for a re-union of former players and officials.
The race day areas receiving the most enquiries are the Gary Radford Pavilion, Picnic sites, Lawn lounge and Wacky’s bar.
The office is due to open on Monday 7 February but bookings can be made by emailing St Pats on [email protected]
With Covid-19 health restrictions easing there will be no cap on attendance numbers this year, in 2021 the crowd was capped at 2,000 people.
