Page 18 - 27 April 2012

AUSTRALIA
Bush racing keeps Victoria sprint racing alive.
The Birchip Cup race day is a popular social event and the only sprint racing held in Victoria each year.
by Jodie Vanstone
Whilst organized club-run Quarter Horse racing (sprint racing as it is known in Australia) has slowly declined in Australia since 2010, bush racing has become increasingly popular. Bush race days are characterized by their informal atmosphere and great sense of community spirit. They are usually run by volunteers from the local community and proceeds are generally fed back into programs to foster health and wellbeing within the small outback towns that host them.
In the southern Australian state of Victoria, in a small town in the heart of the Mallee* country one such bush race day is developing into a wonderful tradition. The Birchip Cup takes place every March in the small town of Birchip (population 822). Back in the 1950s the racetrack at Birchip saw regular Thoroughbred race days which provided the small rural community with a great place to relax and socialize. Sadly, changes to race programming in the country areas of Victoria led to the track being abandoned in 1963.
In 2008, hard-working volunteers spurred on by
an idea floated by the Victorian Racing Quarter Horse Association (VRQHA) resurrected the Birchip Racing Club at its original site. A new track was built, and new facilities were constructed out of recycled and rough sawn timber to provide a picturesque venue with a rus- tic country feel. The 2008 event was run in a carnival style by locals experienced in event management and provided entertainment for people of all ages. Aside from horse racing the entertainment included live music, roving magicians, gourmet food, fashions on the field, and children’s entertainment. Marquees were erected to offer shelter and special corporate picnic spots, while air conditioners provided some comfort
in the 43 degree heat (that’s 110 F)! Despite the heat, more than 600 people attended and the first annual Birchip Cup race day was considered a great success.
In 2009, the event attracted 1,000 spectators and was fast gaining a reputation as a “must attend” event on social calendars in the region.
In 2010, spectator numbers grew yet again. The 2010 festivities also included a stallion parade. Race goers were lucky in that they got to see some of the nicest race bred stallions in Australia today. The stallions included Sullivans Run (Stoli-Scootnfly, Strawfly Special), Sullivans Rocket (Brimmerton- Scootnfly, Strawfly Special) and SLR Mojos Workin (Dash Ta Fame-Sparkling Olene).
In 2011, the Birchip community decided to march on and hold the Birchip Cup Race Day despite the
terrible floods experienced by many parts of east- ern Australia only a month or so beforehand. They received a good turnout of spectators and horsemen alike. This would be the first year that the Birchip Cup would not be part of a larger race circuit as the VRQHA had decided to abandon their 2011 race season. As usual, the race day was a success.
On March 11, 2012, the Birchip Cup race day was, again, a great success for the Birchip community. This marked the fourth running of the annual event, and again was the only sprint race day planned to be held in Victoria this year. The program consisted of four races for the day including a Class 2 (restricted to horses who have not won more than two races) over 300m and an Open over 300m with a 400m consola- tion race, and the Birchip Cup run over 500m with its field consisting of the first three place getters of races 1 and 2. Each race paid $1,000 to win, $600 for second and $400 for third.
The evergreen Cecil Henry, trained by Robyn Kelly and ridden by jockey Mike Preston, won the main event, the Birchip Cup, a sprint over 500 meters (547 yards), for the third year in a row. The 11 horses entered to race on the day represented four trainers who all happened
to be female. They made a stellar effort to prepare their horses to race for just one race meeting, and these ladies, along with the volunteers who run the bush race days, definitely deserve to be congratulated.
This event has certainly cemented its place on the annual events calendar for the region; the challenge for organizers will be attracting people to commit to train- ing horses for a one-off competition each year.
* “Mallee” is an Aboriginal word for the flat sandy coun- try dominated by shrub-like, mallee eucalypts in the arid and semi-arid zones of southern Australia.
Cecil Henry, second from left, won the Birchip Cup for the third year in a row on March 11, 2012.
16 SPEEDHORSE, April 27, 2012
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