PIRONGIA RACE DAY MAY BE THE LAST
There are bellows of delight and howls – some possibly faked – of anguish as the horses hoof it past the little grandstand at the Pirongia Racecourse, their human drivers in tow.
Happy punters mill about in the sunshine, race cards clutched tightly in hand. Children scamper by and scramble to get a view of the horses, many rejoicing in their first day at the races. More seasoned racegoers scan the field from behind their sunglasses and go back to scrutinising the lineup of the next event.
Up in the stand watching the scene play out with a big grin on his face is Don ‘‘Bush’’ Macky, the president of the Alexandra Racing Club. Then the smile fades and his brow furrows as he contemplates the future of the annual Boxing Day event. Does it even have a future? He’s far from certain.
It certainly has a past – 152 years’ worth. That’s 148 meetings over that time – the years when bad weather prevented any racing accounting for the disparity.
All that history, all those races won and lost, money made and gambled away, beer drunk and wine imbibed, could all be consigned to history.
It’s health and safety rules and regulations that have figuratively ensnared the horses that compete in the Boxing Day races at Pirongia. A series of New Zealand Thoroughbred Association requirements that appears way too costly to fix.
The main issue is keeping the punters away from the horses, lest some misfortune afflict either party. Railings and barriers are required.
Then there is a 30-metre stretch of the track that is at slightly the wrong camber. It will need earthworks to fix it. Lastly the whole track needs to be sprayed, completely replanted and irrigated.
‘‘It’s going to be a massive effort and we don’t ultimately know if it is going to be worth it,’’ Macky sighs. ‘‘It’s a lot of trouble for a once-a-year picnic day meeting on Boxing Day.’’
It isn’t the only problem. The number of people attending the event is slowly dwindling. Macky points to a photo on the wall of the clubroom, an aerial shot of the 1992 Boxing Day meeting, a 10,000-strong crowd thronging trackside.
This year, in spite of the agreeable weather, it will be lucky if more than 2000 punters make it through the gate.
‘‘It’s the Boxing Day sales that have sucked the people away from events like this. It’s how things are these days. Aspirations change and society moves on and evolves. It’s a pity, but there it is.
‘‘At 2000 punters we can almost break even. If we could get 3000 to 4000 in we could cover the cost of running the day. Maybe turn a small profit.’’
Another factor is that those involved in organising the annual meet keep getting older and are not being replaced by younger members.
‘‘I’m the president. I’m 74. The secretary is 80. We are really struggling to get younger people involved.’’
The club committee will meet in February to decide whether to get stuck in with the track improvements or call it a day.
‘‘I’m in the keep it going camp. My glass is half full,’’ Macky says. ‘‘It’s a great day with a great history to it and it would be a great shame if this was the last one.’’
‘‘It’s a lot of trouble for a once-a-year picnic day meeting on Boxing Day.’’ Alexandra Racing Club president Don Macky