Glen Innes race meets always prove popular with the local community and now the town will have the opportunity to get behind another one this year. After a successful Glen Innes Cup in January, the Jockey Club will host another meeting on March 6 after the Bingara Cup meeting scheduled for that day was transferred to the Celtic Capital. Five $8000 races will greet punters for the non-TAB meet. There will be a Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1000 metres, another BM 50 over 1400m, and another over 1700m as well as two Maiden races - over 1000m and 1400m. Glen Innes Jockey Club chairman Mark Ritchie welcomed the news. "[It will be a] similar format to the one Bingara had, we are not changing too much but it is a Glen Innes race meeting now," he said. "Bingara unfortunately couldn't handle the jockey distancing over there. "It will fill in a spot because, as I have been saying, when we get a full field for our 1400m Maiden you realise there is a lot of need for that distance and that class of horse up here at the moment. "With the fact they have been knocking a lot of the community race meetings on the head, that horse isn't getting a start. "If they show up at our meeting they have got a heap after it they can progress into." Ritchie said they will turn it into a family event. "It will be good fun. It is going to be a family day," he said. "We are tossing up at this stage as to whether to have a Cretaceous Cup. "After the last race we will have blow up dinosaurs that you wear. We are going to do something along that line there. "[There will be] plenty of things for the kids like yabby races. "At this stage, we are going to call it the Legends' Day. "The races are going to be named after past legends of the racing fraternity around Glen in particular but also in the north. "People that have made a difference to racing and people will know them, particularly Glen Innes. "That is where we are at this stage."
Glen Innes will host another race meet this year after holding the Glen Innes cup in January. Photo: Bradley Photographers
Glen Innes race meets always prove popular with the local community and now the town will have the opportunity to get behind another one this year.
After a successful Glen Innes Cup in January, the Jockey Club will host another meeting on March 6 after the Bingara Cup meeting scheduled for that day was transferred to the Celtic Capital.
Five $8000 races will greet punters for the non-TAB meet.
There will be a Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1000 metres, another BM 50 over 1400m, and another over 1700m as well as two Maiden races - over 1000m and 1400m.
Glen Innes Jockey Club chairman Mark Ritchie welcomed the news.
"[It will be a] similar format to the one Bingara had, we are not changing too much but it is a Glen Innes race meeting now," he said.
"Bingara unfortunately couldn't handle the jockey distancing over there.
"It will fill in a spot because, as I have been saying, when we get a full field for our 1400m Maiden you realise there is a lot of need for that distance and that class of horse up here at the moment.
"With the fact they have been knocking a lot of the community race meetings on the head, that horse isn't getting a start.
"If they show up at our meeting they have got a heap after it they can progress into."
Ritchie said they will turn it into a family event.
"It will be good fun. It is going to be a family day," he said.
"We are tossing up at this stage as to whether to have a Cretaceous Cup.
"After the last race we will have blow up dinosaurs that you wear. We are going to do something along that line there.
"[There will be] plenty of things for the kids like yabby races.
"At this stage, we are going to call it the Legends' Day.
"The races are going to be named after past legends of the racing fraternity around Glen in particular but also in the north.
"People that have made a difference to racing and people will know them, particularly Glen Innes.
