h-member-login

MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER  header call 
Melody sales@mangawhaifocus.co.nz 021454814
Nadia n.lewis@xtra.co.nz 021677978
Reporting: Julia news@mangawhaifocus.co.nz 0274641673
 Accounts: Richard info@mangawhaifocus.co.nz 021678358

 

Archives

Winter racing season a bonus for thoroughbred fans

 

 

Capture-290Whangarei Racing Club’s winter season of thoroughbred horse racing in 2021, at the Ruakaka racecourse, will be in direct contrast to the Covid-19 ravaged season of no winter meetings in 2020. There are four meetings scheduled in July and August which will be a true test of the well-draining sandy base of the grass track.

With only one summer meeting the winter is clearly the busiest and most critical period for local trainers and their staff who are based on the course at Ruakaka. It also means it is a winter feast and summer famine for local racing fans.

On the theme of a winter feast, there are mid-winter Christmas functions held on the two August race meetings and these have proven popular in the past with work social clubs and groups of friends who find the summer too busy with families.

Being the only thoroughbred horse racing club north of the Auckland harbour bridge the club engages with various districts and names a feature race for the region with the help of local sponsors. For example, the opening meeting on June 19 featured the Bream Bay Cup that was part of the Bream Bay Business Race Day.

On Saturday July 3, the Northpine Waipu Cup will be held for its fifth year. Northpine has operated for over 20 years in Waipu and engages strongly with local community as this sponsorship exemplifies. Director of the company, Bruce Larsen, keenly promotes the day as part of the Winter in Waipu promotion and of course the wearing of tartan is an integral part of the fun of the race day.

Shayne Heape or ‘Uncle Shayne’ as he is known in all his ITM radio advertisements, is a very keen racing fan and is sponsoring the ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup for the seventh time on July 17. In what will be a very rare occasion, the ‘gold cup’ will be presented twice in the one racing season.

Ocean Billy, the subsequent winner of the Auckland Cup in 2021, won the ITM/GIB Whangarei Gold Cup last September after the club was not able to hold a meeting during the winter. With the horse racing season from August 1 to the end of July the following year this means there will be two winners in the 2020/21 racing year.

The Whangarei Cup has been run since pre-1900s at various racecourses including Whangarei’s Kensington Park for many years. Whangarei Racing Club is proud that they have retained the ‘gold cup’ that was first presented in 1929 as the perpetual trophy that each winning owner holds for a year.

Previous Whangarei Gold Cup winner Ocean Billy. PHOTO/TRISH DUNELL


 
ABOUT US
  CHECK IT OUT
The Mangawhai Focus is the only 'Mangawhai' community Newspaper and is the paper of choice within the local area.

For more information on distribution and circulation please 
click here
 

Directory

Archives

Contact Us


 

 

 

FOLLOW US

facebook   twitter   174855-378

CONTACT US


Sales: 021 454814
  sales@mangawhaifocus.co.nz
Editorial: 027 4641673
  news@mangawhaifocus.co.nz
Office: 021 678357
  info@mangawhaifocus.co.nz