All roads lead to Tennant Creek on Saturday for the Two Cup Race Day, with $130,500 in stakes on the table across six races on Hagan Park’s sand surface.
The $30,000 Tennant Creek Cup (1600m) – an open handicap and the last race on the program – is the feature event, and this year prizemoney has been bumped up from $25,000.
They call it the Two Cup Race Day as the $21,500 Denis Staunton Memorial Cup (1200m) for the 0-70 class, which precedes the Tennant Creek Cup, is the other significant race with prizemoney also increasing.
A total of 39 horses – mostly from Alice Springs and Darwin – have accepted for the meeting, but there will be no representation from Mount Isa in Queensland with racing also scheduled there on Saturday.
It’s not uncommon to see a contingent from Mount Isa feature on Tennant Creek Cup Day every year.
Victorian trainer and jockey Mark Pegus, who is based at Stawell, and Adelaide-based trainer Darryl Carrison will each have a runner on the program, while Strathalbyn trainer Kym Healy from South Australia will be represented.
Tennant Creek Racing Club president Mike Nash is disappointed there won’t be participants from Mount Isa for the NT town’s only meeting of the year.
“Believe it or not, but they’re racing on the same day,” he said.
“It’s amazing, to be honest, because we can’t move our race day.
“If they weren’t racing on Saturday then I’m sure we would have had runners from Mount Isa.
“It’s always good to see horses, trainers, jockeys and patrons from Mount Isa in Tennant Creek.
“Thankfully, Darwin trainers are coming down and the Alice Springs trainers are coming up.”
Last year’s Tennant Creek Cup Day was subjected to criticism when the track was deemed “too heavy” following the addition of new sand.
“Our preparation this year has not been as dramatic as last year,” Nash said.
“Last year, we were inundated with brand new sand which was added to the track pretty late.
“We then had to proportion it properly around the track and everything like that.
“It was a bit of a hard time last year, but this time the track is really good.
“The chief steward from Alice Springs, David Westover, is very impressed with the surface – he reckons it’s one of the best he has seen here.
“It was too heavy last year, that’s right, but it’s a lot better now.
“I’m not one to rate tracks, but it will be a damn side easier going on Saturday.”
Apart from the addition of new sand last year, the TCRC also updated its sound system at Hagan Park – and this year the club has erected a runway for the fashions on the field.
“We’ve actually got a cat walk for the fashion parade for the girls,” Nash said.
“It’s the only day really in Tennant Creek that if you’re a girl you can get frocked up.
“All the girls are very excited about the fashion parade coming up.
“We’ve always had a fashions of the field, but this time it’s a little bit more official – we’re just making it a little bit more presentable.
“That’s the reason why we decided we’d go the extra mile with the runway.
“Cup Day is Tennant Creek’s biggest day of the year, it really and truly is, there is no other event.
“Everyone warms to the racing, they also come to have a punt.
“The TAB will be operating on course and we’ve got a stand up bookie as well.
“Everyone gets behind Cup Day, and apart from other events on Saturday we’ve also got activities for the kids.
“The Lions Club is looking after the catering, while the local Goldfields pub and the Lions Club are looking after the bar.
“They’re doing a magnificent job setting up.
“It’s full steam ahead, we’re just doing some final touch ups around the place.
“Apart from that it’s looking very good, it should be a really good day.”
In further good news, the relentless rain that fell in the Barkly Region from December to March (835mm) is long gone, and considering only 9.6mm of rain has fallen in Tennant Creek since March 5, it will definitely be a good surface for racing this weekend.
“Fair dinkum, we got a lot of rain,” Nash said.
“We were not very far from breaking records – something like 800 to 900mm of rain we copped in those months.
“I was thinking about making it a turf track.
“I reckon just throw on some lawn seed and bring out the mowers.”
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