Looking back on racing history

GO back in time at the Ballarat Turf Club with a heritage race day showcasing the history of the organisation.

The event to be held this Sunday will feature an eight-race program as well as displays and interactive events about Ballarat Turf Club’s background and past.

“This week is Ballarat Heritage Festival and we had our Sunday race day that lined up with it perfectly, so we thought we’d try and have the theme of heritage,” said Leigh Brady, business development manager at the Ballarat Turf Club.

This is the first time the club will hold this event and there will be local artist displays, a gin pop-up bar and historic racing memorabilia.

“We’ve got 10 different market stalls that will be set up here and we’ve also got a bit of a display of old horse artefacts that we’ve had at the Turf Club for a while,” said Mr Brady.

“We are also having a massive fundraiser for Annie Alexander from Alexander Racing who is doing Dancing with Our Stars for the Ballarat Foundation.

“We will be doing an auction and a raffle on the day with some guest speakers.”

Mr Brady said he hopes the day is an opportunity for the community to learn about the history of the Turf Club.

“Heritage is so rich in Ballarat so it will be nice to tie things in with the heritage week,” he said.

“We are excited to shine a little bit of light on the old displays that we have at the Turf Club and the rich history that we have.”

Ballarat Heritage Raceday will kick off from 11.30am on Sunday 26 May. Tickets can be purchased on the Country Racing website.