The Walcha Jockey Club has been named the New South Wales community race club of the year for their tireless efforts in the racing industry.
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The local club beat out Bong Bong Picnic Race Club and Cootamundra Turf Club at the Racing NSW Country and Provincial Awards night on September 30.
The club were recognised for their work in attracting sponsors and big prize money to their race meets as well as the benefits the club gives back to the local community.
There are 70 community clubs in the state who were eligible for nomination and Walcha’s secretary Kevin Ferrier said it was a special honour to be recognised.
"It gives us recognition within the industry for what we do,” he said.
"It is all voluntary, everything we do is voluntary.
"I have been the secretary for 25 years now and the award just recognises the work country race clubs do.
"We are just so happy to receive that award.
"It puts us in the limelight and recognises that the work the volunteers do at this club is just special.”
Meanwhile, 16 juveniles have been nominated for the first two-year-old race of the HNWRA season, with country racing’s leading trainer stumping up three nominees for the prestigious race.
Tamworth Jockey Club’s $22,000 Romantic Dream 2YO Plate (1000m) will be run this Monday with Gulgong trainer, Brett Thompson, entering three of his younger horses for the juvenile sprint - Coasting, Fairy Fragments and Nicconi Bay.
All three have trialled, with the bay gelding Coasting sixth of six in a Wyong trial, Fairy Fragments fifth in a Wyong trial, and Nicconi filly Nicconi Bay eighth of 10 over 800m at Gilgandra.
Thompson was named Country Trainer of the Year in front of a 400-strong audience at Sydney’s Sheraton On The Park last Friday night.
It was a glittering event with HNWRA clubs Walcha (Community Club of the Year) and Moree (Outstanding Achievement Award) also winning awards.
Scone-trained Clearly Innocent, trained by Greg Bennett, also won the Country Horse of the Year on the night.
Clearly Innocent’s regular rider, Samantha Clenton, who has won a Romantic Dream Plate, won seven races on Clearly Innocent and was named the Country Apprentice of the Year.
Former Leader sports editor Geoff Newling received a Special Recognition Award for his services to the industry along with veteran trainer Barbara Joseph, who won the first Tamworth Prime 3YO with Merimbula Bay.
He was the first yearling she bought after training tried horses, costing his large syndicate $5000 but returning them almost $500,000 in prize money after winning the Doncaster Handicap a few months after his Tamworth success.
ROMANTIC DREAM PLATE NOMINATIONS: (To be run Monday, October 10 in Tamworth): Coasting (Brett Thompson), El Casco (Ross Stitt), Emily’s Song (Allan Kehoe), Fairy Fragments (Brett Thompson), Faraasheh (Neil Godbolt), Harnova (Neil Godbolt), Jessie Prevails (Jenny Graham), Leapin’ Lena (Thomas Elmes), Miss Glamorhuss (Todd Howlett), Mr Grumpy (Paul Perry), My Maggie (Pat Farrell), Nicconi Bay (Brett Thompson), On A Mission (Michael Gallagher), Onemore Prince (Rodney Ollerton), Prince Lottie (John Bannister), Thunder (Mark Hatch).