Images – Forbes Jockey Club.
In August of last year, Forbes Jockey Club celebrated their maiden Big Dance qualifier meeting, and it appeared at that time the sky was the limit for the small Central Districts race club.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different ideas, and severe flooding in November 2022 put a dampener on racing in the region.
Despite severe challenges and significant financial outlay, Forbes Jockey Club will be back racing for the first time on Sunday when hosting their time-honoured Forbes Cup and Ben Hall Bullet eight-race Showcase meeting.
“There’s been quite a build-up to this meeting as it’s been quite a long time since we’ve been able to race,” Forbes Jockey Club President Randal Grayson said.
“We haven’t held a meeting since last year, and that was because we’ve been through one of the biggest floods Forbes has ever seen.
“As a committee and town, a lot of work has been done to get the surrounds and the track up to a standard for racing.”
Incredibly, the Forbes racecourse was underwater for the best part of a month, but it’s since bounced back and will be ready for Sunday’s meeting.
“We had a couple of floods, and the second one was the main one, and off and on, we had water on most parts of the track for three to four weeks,” Grayson said.
“Two feet of water went through the infrastructure and buildings, and on the main part of the course, the water was up to the running rail.
“We weren’t the only club knocked around by flooding, but like all other country clubs, we’re all volunteers, and we just try and put on a good event for our town and promote racing, but this year, there has been a lot more effort, with buildings cleaned and carpets pulled out, and a lot of work done on the track.”
Grayson explained that the track needed to rebound in time for their second-ever Big Dance qualifier meeting, with the pressure on his small but hard-working committee to deliver a good race day.
“We were told we had to have it back to racing quality sooner rather than later,” Grayson said.
“We had fertiliser on it to get it through that growing period, so when we got to autumn and winter, there was good grass coverage.
“Our track manager has been here since he was 18 years old, and he said it’s the best he’s ever seen it at this time of year.”
The $50,000 Bankstown Sports Club Forbes Cup (1600m) will headline the meeting, and with the Country Cup a qualifier for the $3 million Big Dance, the race has attracted the likes of Sydney trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and John Steinmetz, and a good array of provincial and leading country yards.
Complementing the Forbes Cup is The Amazing Ben Hall Bullet (1200m).
A small but very good field of runners will contest the Open Handicap sprint on Sunday, and the club wants to build the race up to be one of the premier sprint races in country NSW.
“The Ben Hall Bullet was a race we wanted to bring back,” Grayson said.
“It’s a race that was lost in time, and a feature sprint race ran many moons ago, and this year, it is an open class race, so it can be difficult to attract big fields.
“Still, we want to build it up, and want it to be a lead-up race to The Panorama and Kosciuszko.”
Sunday’s meeting is one of Forbes’ largest social events on the calendar, and Grayson said there will be something for everyone on the day.
“As far as cup day, we’re here to cater for everyone,” Grayson said.
“On the back of a couple of stinkers weather-wise, this year should be great, as it is set to be a really nice day.
“We’ve got General Admission, the President’s Marquee, a jumping castle and Mr Whippy for the kids, and Fashions on the Field.”
It’s not just the Sunday, either, and tonight (Saturday), Grayson and his team kick off their weekend with a huge calcutta at Club Forbes, and with a strong contingent of Bankstown Sports Club members on hand, some good money will be up for grabs.
“We have one of the strongest country calcuttas, and it’s been going on for a long time,” Grayson said.
“Bankstown Sports Club have been coming down for 28 years, plus, there has been a lot of prebought tickets from locals, and we’ll have a few trainers interviewed on the night.
“Mitch Lloyd from Patriot Bloodstock, will be there, and Mick Wallace is coming, and he’ll give us some insight on what we can expect on cup day.”
For more on the Forbes Cup, their race day, and the calcutta, click here.
For fields, click here.
