The Cobar Miners Race Club committee is currently gauging the interest in the community to hold two race meetings this year.
New club president Jarrod Marsden said on the back of the success of the club’s annual race meeting in May many believe that the town and wider racing community would support two local race meetings per year.
“We actually enquired some time ago as to a second date but were told no spots on the calendar existed, so unless another race club folded or gave up a date we could not have second meeting. Luckily for us this may be the case – but also sad as it is to see another club fold,” Mr Marsden said.
He said running a second meeting would double the workload of the committee but it would give the club the chance to earn more revenue.
“A successful second meeting will put money in the coffers for the club allowing more improvements to be made more quickly and giving us the opportunity to enhance the race day experience for all who attend,” Mr Marsden said.
The date the Cobar club has been offered is a picnic meeting in late August and, while he thinks the time of year coming into Spring will work well, a picnic meeting format is not really what the club wants.
“We will have to seek approval to make it a normal country non-TAB meeting.
“Picnic racing doesn’t look to dissimilar to the public but picnic racing is amateur and as such is a whole other ball game from an organisational and insurance standpoint,” he said.
“From a local point of view I think it sits beautifully in late August and fills a bit of a social gap. Football is finished, cricket not yet started, and the weather is just warming up nicely,” he said.
“Tourism wise if the same amount of visitors come and spend dollars in the town the way they do in May it will be a great benefit,” he said.
Mr Marsden said holding a picnic meeting may be a challenge, and the date is only temporary at the moment given that a race club in NSW has temporarily folded.
“If they were to reform we would have to hand the date back.
“This is similar to what happened to Cobar. Coonamble actually raced on our date for a few years and handed the date back when we reformed.”
Mr Marsden said the club has so far received a positive public response to the possibility of a second race meeting.
