Adding further interest to two popular Southern Districts Racing Association (SDRA) non-TAB meetings, there is now a $4000 incentive to win the 2025 Tumbarumba and Holbrook Cups.
With plenty of racing in the Southern District in February, Tumbarumba Turf Club and Holbrook & District Race Club have teamed up to attract more horses to their meetings, held on February 1 and 15, respectively.
If a horse is good enough to take out both 1400m feature races a fortnight apart, connections of the winning horse will win a $4000 cash bonus provided by the clubs.
The Tumbarumba Cup has a prize purse of $18,000, and the Holbrook Cup is worth $15,000; both races are set to attract a myriad of NSW and Victorian gallopers.
It’s an interesting move by both clubs, instigated after Holbrook’s race date was swapped with Carrathool’s, moving them forward from their traditional April date.
Tumbarumba Turf Club Vice President Ed Lauder discussed the reasons for introducing the new Country Cup incentive.
“There is a lot of racing on, and the competition for horses is pretty strong, especially with Tumut, Wagga and Albury racing around us,” Lauder said.
“This incentive gives owners and trainers another reason to attend our Tumbarumba and Holbrook Cup meetings.
“Trainers and owners can pick up good prizemoney and possibly a good cash bonus.”
It will take a decent horse to win both the Tumbarumba and Holbrook Cups, and Lauder was looking forward to seeing what gallopers were entered in the time-honoured feature races.
“You’ll need a versatile horse, and I imagine the seasoned gallopers will be the ones taking on those races,” Lauder said.
“Tumbarumba can be a tricky track, and horses with plenty of starts that race on those tracks will be heading to those races.
“There should be a lot of interest, with all the Wagga trainers sending horses, along with those Victorians like (Andrew) Dale, (Craig) Weeding, and (Ben) Brisbourne, who week in and week out target those sorts of cup races.”
Both Country Cups are important social events for their towns, and with Tumbarumba gearing up for their biggest event of the year, Lauder said there was an air of anticipation ahead of their February 1 race day.
“It’s a big social event for the town and really important for all the businesses,” Lauder said.
“It’s a good weekend, and we kick off with the calcutta on Friday night at the (Tumbarumba) Golf Club, then we race on Saturday, and the clubs and pubs do really well.
“There’s plenty of entertainment on, and it’s a big weekend and reunion for the town, with people coming back to catch up with families; it gets everyone together.”
Tumbarumba racecourse is looking the goods, and Lauder said recent rain had helped their preparation.
“We got that big downpour on the weekend, which has really helped,” Lauder said.
“We irrigate it, but the track was still a bit hard before that, and now, the grass is growing great, there is great coverage, and the track looks as good as we’ll get it.”
Readers are encouraged to follow the Tumbarumba Turf Club and Holbrook and District Race Club on social media for more information on both meetings.
