Great day out at the races

By Kath Gannaway
HEALESVILLE Amateur Racing Club’s final race for the 2008-09 season was a spectacularly successful racing, family and community day.
Club president John O’Neill and secretary Anthony Schache were as excited as the estimated 1000 children who were part of the family-orientated crowd of around 3500 attending the Easter Saturday meeting.
The event was held in perfect racing weather with a number of highlights during the day.
On the track the six-race program attracted good fields with a smattering of Yarra Valley entries competing against horses from Flemington to Pakenham and Cranbourne, Gippsland as far down as Bairnsdale, Geelong, Kyneton and as far north as Wangaratta.
The jockeys were riding for a total prize pool of $13,500 and, for punters willing to start the day with a long-shot, Pakenham trained Tiponelly was ridden home to first place by Shiralee Waddell to return $21 for the win ahead of Danzig Storm, also good odds at $16 the place.
Furbin, ridden by Leigh Taylor in the 4th did well for the Punters Club proving a good omen for anyone still putting their faith in the greys after neither Dis Reply nor Like Thunder made the grade in the previous race.
Another notable win was First Take with Sarah Sutherland on board riding a brilliant race to come in ahead of the favourite Sea Lions to finish the day.
Off the track there was no shortage of winners either.
The first 300 children through the gate received an Easter showbag courtesy of sponsor Pink Lady Chocolates, a huge inflatable slide was a firm favourite in a very classy field of free entertainment, the lolly-bag prize-pool for the children’s running races managed to keep everyone happy, even with the record entries on the day, and the Easter bunny made an impromptu appearance with some early Easter eggs.
In line with the club’s strong commitment to supporting the local community, substantial donations were made to Healesville Interchurch Community Care Inc (HICCI) and to the Healesville and Badger Creek fire brigades.
HICCI chairman Peter Skilbeck accepted a cheque for $3000.
“The racing club is a great supporter of HICCI which helps us look after a log of disadvantaged families and we are very grateful for that support,” Mr Skilbeck said.
He said the club had also provided HICCI with admission tickets for the raceday along with lunch vouchers, which they had been able to distribute.
Mr O’Neill said the committee particularly this year wanted to show its support for the CFA volunteers who had done so much during the February fires.
The meeting was run as a benefit for the local brigades with the total gate takings being rounded up a bit to allow the treasurer to write two cheques for $5000.
Accepting the cheque on behalf of the Healesville CFA communications officer Damien Beeby said the brigades too were grateful for the race club’s and the community’s support.
“It is always good to be thanked,” he said. “It’s been great to be here today and to come people come up and say ‘thank you’,” he said.
Mr O’Neill said the meeting had been a great success and they were now looking forward to the 2009-10 season with seven races locked in.
While no official decision has yet been announced on a proposal by the VRL and CRV to reduce the club’s meetings to four after next season, Mr O’Neill said the club remained optimistic.
“We are confident that we will retain our seven races going into the future in the next five years,” he told the Mail.