Macka’s Moments
In the lead-up to the new year, I will be naming my top five sporting moments across the Central West for 2023.
SproutAg Longreach Cup
In the lead-up to the races, the President of the Longreach Jockey Club Andrew Watts was excited about what was to come on cup day, saying that the club had been inundated with nominations across the seven races.
“All races will be covered by both TAB and Sky Channel – it is a great honour to get that privilege on Sky Racing 2,” Andrew said in September.
“Nominations were fantastic with 87 horses nominated for the seven races, and incredibly with the amount of racing that is on in Outback Queensland, 13 jockeys will be coming out.”
The centrepiece of the day’s racing was the prestigious SproutAg Cup, with competitors from across the region converging on Longreach to vie for this coveted trophy, creating a captivating spectacle for all to see.
Run over 1600 metres, it was Burden who claimed victory, with Centaur and Persevere taking out second and third respectively.
Andrew did say that there were more things to look forward to for next year, saying that there were exciting times ahead for the Longreach Jockey Club, with more racing to be had in 2024.
“There are some exciting projects on the horizon,” Andrew said.
“Construction of a new tie-up stall and swab boxes start up in the next couple of weeks.
“We have some additions to the stewards ‘ towers – next year’s racing is going to be big with 10 meetings scheduled for 2024.”
Away from the races, prestigious Gold Coast-based private schools St Hilda’s and The Southport School were major sponsors once again for the fashions of the field, with $15,000 worth of prizes and cash up for grabs on the day,
It was an extravaganza, with the event having been hosted by this year’s ambassadors, Kimberley Busteed and Milly Ellwood.
Like Andrew said, there is plenty of racing to look forward to in the Longreach next year, and that also extends to the jockey clubs across the Central West.
