Rado Boljun’s Outside won the $12,000 Dongwha Timbers Bombala Cup.
WHAT a race day! From the excitement of the horses themselves through to the huge crowd, the frocks and the bubbly, the 2012 Bombala Races were a massive success on Saturday.
Perfect weather guaranteed big numbers on the day, and while the Bombala and District Jockey Club couldn’t give an exact figure, they confirmed that it was indeed the biggest crowd in memory.
With a record 400 people booked into the marquee alone, estimates put the crowd at about 800, and the Jockey Club reports that all figures, from the gate to the bar, were well up on previous years.
Locals could scarcely believe their luck on Saturday as the sun shone down and they donned hats and heels for their beloved country race meet.
They were joined by a huge number of visitors, with the usual coastal contingent being added to by around 90 Dongwha Timbers guests, a football reunion group and many more from away.
And they were greeted by some big improvements at the Bombala Racecourse, with Dongwha Timbers assisting the Jockey Club in erecting a shelter for the bookmakers and cementing the kiosk area in time for race day.
Also a new addition was the huge big screen television which was set up to screen the larger races of the day, while a bookmaker was made available inside the marquee for the first time this year.
Of course the scene was set for really glamming up this year, and this led to an impressive Fashions of the Field which was once again generously sponsored by Joseph and Jones Racing.
Amongst those taking the glory were Bert Telford, Taylah Ventry and Raegan Hurley for the juniors, while Sue Morgan and Chantelle Casotti were the best Dressed Ladies.
Daryl Elton and Scott Dixon shared the Best Dressed Man title, Rose and Steve Goodyer were the Best Dressed Couple, and Kelly Goodyer and xxxxxxxx sported the Best Hats.
Naturally the main action of the day was to be found out on the racecourse, however, with five exciting local races run and won before a cheering bunch of spectators.
The feature race of the event, the $12,000 Dongwha Timbers Bombala Cup, was won by Outside trained by Rado Boljun and ridden by Kevin Sweeney, while Joseph’s Back to Zero took third.
All five races were keenly followed, however, and both the bookies and tote van were kept busy right up until the end of the day, which turned cool just in time for the last racegoers to head into Bombala and Delegate for further celebrations.
A detailed race report appears to the right, while more social photos can be found on pages 12 and 13.
