Racing’s true colours
IT has been a decade since the Tasmanian Racing Club came on board to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and at Elwick last Sunday the club raised another $30,000 to take its contribution to the charity to well over $280,000.
The Pink Cup Race Day has been well supported since the club added it to its feature race day fixture and this year’s occasion showed that patrons are appreciating the lifting of Covid restrictions with more than 300 attending the function.
TRC chief executive office Brendan Blomeley said the event was one of the club’s favourite events.
“Raising money for such a great cause is what the event is all about and to have taken our total contribution to the NBCF to closing in on $300,000 is very satisfying,” Blomeley said.
The racing industry has long been a great supporter of the NBCF but there are many other organisations that receive support from racing.
Included in the $30,000 raised last Sunday was just over $1000 from Tasmanian Bloodstock that runs an event at every thoroughbred meeting around the state – its general manager Neil Walsh is the driving force behind the initiative.
Walsh has been involved in racing most of his life and his passion for the industry and the people in it sometimes leads him to go above and beyond when it comes to raising money for charity.
At the Tasmanian Bloodstock racehorse owners’ function at Elwick last Sunday Walsh had hairdresser Emma Broadhurst colour his silky grey locks pink, with patrons pledging varying amounts to witness the radical change.
“Having your hair dyed is pretty much the same as getting a bad haircut – it only lasts a few weeks, but it was all in the name of a good cause,’’ he said.
At the main function last Sunday two of the state’s most prominent horse owner-breeders and longtime TRC members, Paul, and Elizabeth “Libby” Geard, were made life members of the club.
TRC chairman Andrew Scanlon made the presentation to the Geards, saying: “Libby and Paul are a true partnership. They have been by each other’s side every step of the way, no matter what the endeavour.”
“They got started in thoroughbred racing over twenty years ago with shares in a horse trained by Walter McShane and they soon branched out on their own and became Tasmania’s premier owners and major producers of champion horses,’’ he said.
“They have also been long-term members and very generous supporters of the club and this event is another obvious example as they have once again donated a service fee to their champion stallion Wordsmith.”
The service fee sold for $7000 – it will be the only outside service to the stallion next season as the Geards have opted to restrict him to only Geard-owned mares.