CAULFIELD CALLED OFF

Spring racing will not return to Deniliquin as planned this month.

The Deniliquin Racing Club announced on Thursday that the Caulfield Cup Day races scheduled for Saturday, October 16 would be cancelled.

The decision was made on Wednesday after members of the organising committee met with Deniliquin Police.

Committee member Greg Danckert said the safety of the community was the main reason for the decision.

And he said the announcement on Thursday that a COVID-19 case was being treated in Deniliquin was justification the committee had come to the right decision.

‘‘The main consideration at the time of making the decision was the ever changing situation with COVID-19, as well as the safety of the community,’’ Danckert said.

‘‘And then we did see it change again the same day we made our announcement.

‘‘It seemed the best thing to do after meeting with local police and considering everything.

‘‘It is unfortunate, but we know we made the right decision.’’

Danckert said this year’s event was shaping up to a be a big one, with significant interest from the racing fraternity and the general public.

‘‘We were trying to make it (the event) happen because we knew the community wanted it, and the racing participants — the jockeys, the trainers — really wanted it to go ahead as well.

‘‘We’ve also had wonderful support from the business community.

‘‘Our private marquee packages had almost sold out, and our corporate marquee was already at capacity.’’

Danckert said the Deniliquin Racing Club did have some discussions with Racing NSW about replacing the Caulfield Cup Day Races with another event later in the year, but he said a new event would not fit in the racing calendar.

‘‘We’ll just look ahead to a bigger and better event next year,’’ Danckert said.

‘‘We have a keen committee with great ideas, now we just need a bit of luck.

‘‘We will still be running our Caulfield Cup Day calcutta in conjunction with the Deniliquin Bowling Club this year, and on a positive note the crop is looking good after the 150mm of rain we’ve had.’’

Thirty committee members and volunteers planted a barley crop in the centre of the Deniliquin Racecourse track in July.

The barley will be harvested later this season and sold, with the profits going directly back into the grounds.

Preparation started last summer, with volunteers working to pull up a disused trotting track from the centre of the grounds, including old railing, dirt and rubbish.

About 24 hectares of barley seed then went in the ground in July.

Greg Thorley, Jamie Tasker and Ian and Greg Milliken provided the agricultural know-how, sprayed the weeds, turned the soil and planted the seed, while the Rural Fire Service gave their assistance to burn off the old grass.

If successful, the club hopes to do it all again next year, with plans to sow a variety of crops such as canola and oats.

‘‘The income from this will increase the sustainability of the club and go towards our strategic plan to increase our revenue streams and maintain our capital infrastructure,’’ Danckert said.

The Deniliquin Racing Club plans to introduce a range of new improvements, including sprinklers, solar panels, and upgrades to the bar area and clubhouse.

The next meet on the Deniliquin Racing Club calendar is the annual Digger’s Cup on Anzac Day, Sunday, April 25, 2022.