Concern for the future of picnic and country race tracks has been raised in Parliament, as committees across the Western Plains have suffered from race meetings being cancelled at short notice.

Before any race meeting, stewards from Racing NSW must assess the track to ensure that safety standards are met for both the horse and the jockey. 

It’s a standard that local race committees work towards for months in advance, turning cracked, dry or grassy ground into a track worth riding on. 

In September this year, after stewards deemed the Come-By-Chance race track unsafe with less than a week’s notice, the committee held the event anyway, with local stockmen and their horses taking to the racecourse in a fun event for participants and spectators.

The decision - made to save the community from a fourth consecutive year of lost revenue - is facing investigation by Racing NSW. 

“The committee should be commended for saving the day. Any suggestion this event should be investigated should be quashed immediately,” Member for Barwon Roy Butler told Parliament.

Member for Barwon Roy Butler made the Private Members' Statement in Parliament this week. (Facebook: Roy Butler)

“We don’t want unaddressed safety issues. What is needed is a mechanism to remediate to allow races to proceed and those economic benefits to flow.”

Earlier this year in nearby Brewarrina, stewards determined the race track unsafe less than an hour before the first race, disappointing jockeys, owners, trainers, bookmakers and attendees who had made the journey. 

“Country race meets can make a huge difference to rural businesses, particularly in tough times, and they can be major social events in towns that don’t often have them,” Mr Butler said.

“The growing concern out West is continued inconsistent cancellations. Confidence will be lost and people will have second thoughts about travelling to our rural communities for a race meeting.”

“The body that regulates horse races is based in the city fails to understand the true nature of the country race meeting and what it means to rural people and how it is a fundamental part of their nature.”

While there is no confirmation or published details about any investigation of the Come-By-Chance racing committee, racing journalist Jeff Hanson published his own take. 

“I’ve also got my concerns with the Stock Horse race being conducted on a Racing NSW registered racecourse without helmets and vests,” he wrote on his website NSW Country and Picnic Racing. 

“Maybe it’s negated by the fact that the course is on private property, but it could pose the club some issues – I can’t say for sure.”