Courtesy of Gilgandra Junior Cricket Association It was a case of will it or won't cricket be on as Gilgandra seemed to dodge the bulk of the rain last week but Dubbo was right in the firing line. Eventually after much trepidation round 3 of Junior cricket competition did proceed. The 12's Storm played Narromine in Narromine and notched another impressive win. Winning the toss and elected to bowl first on an icy cold morning, Storm applied the pressure with the ball taking 11 wickets to restrict Narromine Black to a total score of 66. Jacqueline Hutchison was impressive taking 4 wickets for 4 runs from her 2 overs, well supported by Darcy Walker with 3 wickets for 8 runs from his 3 overs. In reply, Jock Mills put on a batting masterclass scoring 23 from his 20 balls faced which included his first six. Jacob Fordham was also rock solid with the bat, scoring 10 runs and not conceding any wickets. Storm were impressive winners by 63 runs.The 12's Thunder ventured to Dubbo to take on South Dubbo Finners, they won the toss and elected to bowl frst. South Dubbo were restricted to 74 runs off the bat but the 36 bonus runs from the 9 wickets lost by Thunder meant Souths posted a respectable score of 110. The best of the bowlers was Georgia Allen with 1 wicket for 2 runs from her 2 overs. Thunder needed to bat well given South's had not lost many wickets. Unfortunately there was a steady fall of wickets which set the Thunder on the back foot. After batting their 20 overs, it was Alex Cosier who top scored with 13 runs and impressed by not getting out. Thunder managed a total score of 82 runs but fell short of the 110 total required to win.The 14B's played Macquarie in Dubbo. It was a day where the bowling attack clicked into gear restricting an understrength Macquarie to 42 runs in total. Lachlan Henry impressed with the ball taking 2 wickets for 1 run from his only over. He was supported by Jack Page who took 2 wickets for 7 runs from his 3 overs. The score of 42 was never going to trouble the 14's. It was openers Harry Tobin and Marshall Parker that made short work of the run chase reaching the total after 6 overs. Harry finished not out 21 runs from 24 balls faced and Marshall not out 11 from 8 balls.It was their first home game at the picturesque McGrane Oval, the 12's Lightning were ready to strike. Unfortunately the result was settled early when Newtown could only field 4 players which resulted in a forfeit win to the Lightning. Congratulations to Marshall Parker and Jack Page, they were selected to trial for the Western Plains Under 13 and 14's teams respectively in Dubbo on Sunday. Both boys trialled well and just missed selection in hotly contested Western Plains teams both should be very proud of their achievements.Next week's games (round 4);14b's vs Dubbo Cyms on Friday Night Under Lights at McGrane Oval, Gilgandra12b's Thunder vs DDJCA Girls on Saturday at Ernie Knight Oval, Gilgandra12b's Storm vs RSL Colts Juniors at Lady Cutler Oval (South A), Dubbo 12b's Lightning vs Narromine Black at Olsen Park, Narromine 

By Matt ZellBreelong club President John Alchin has turned back the clock with a masterclass of outswing bowling against Eumungerie in the Bendigo Bank ABC Shield on the weekend. The Saudi Express ended up with the enviable figures of 8/25 off 8 overs as the newcomers recorded a 42 run victory at Eumungerie Sports Ground.Winning the toss & electing to bat, openers Nathan Tuena & Liam Zell again combined nicely with a 67 run partnership. Tuena was the first to go for 33, wickets then fell at regular intervals as the search for quick runs commenced. Zell was the 4th wicket to fall for a well compiled 49, Kel Anforth worked beautifully with the tailenders to finish on 17 not out with Alex Sutherland being the next highest run scorer with 12. At the end of 40 overs Breelong had amassed 9/156. Pick of the bowlers were A Billing (2/11) Mack Shipp (2/16) & Gavin Seaman (2/18). This seemed 80 short of what was required as Eumungerie flew out of the blocks being 24 after just 3 overs. Enter the man of the hour, after dismissing both openers the tide had begun to turn in the hosts favour with a 34 run partnership between the Shipp brothers before Alchin struck yet again with the crucial wicket of Adlai Shipp for 17. He was followed back to the sheds by brother Mack the very next over by rookie of the year favourite Tom Eason for a swashbuckling 37. With the game in the balance at 4/58 Alchin then cut a swathe through the middle & lower order, taking wickets in his 4th & 5th overs along with another 2 in his 6th & 8th to all but end any hope for the hosts. Tim Johnston & Jay Thurston then sent a scare through the Breelong camp, combining for an energetic 41 run stand before Henry Johnson had Tim caught behind for an impressive 28 to leave Eumungerie 42 runs short. Alchin with 8/25 was the star, Eason & Johnson both picked up 1 each. The competition will now take a 2 week harvest break with games set to re-commence Saturday 27th November, we hope the rain stays away so the crops can come off during this period. In other results, USC Marthaguy recorded an impressive win against Town Services on Friday night. Whilst the match details are a little unclear at the time of going to press, Marthaguy batted 1st & made 140 then bowled Town out for approximately 40.Coonamble recorded their first win since re-entering the competition with a 43 run victory over Coonabarabran. Dwayne Hammond took 5/19 for Coonamble with Nick Willoughby the only Coonabarabran batsman to show any resistance, making 49 out of his team’s total of 76. Aaron Page top scored for Coonamble with 34 & was supported by Andrew Wheelhouse & Dwayne Hammond who both made 14. Daniel Budden was the pick of the Coona bowlers with 3/19.Coonamble team captain Tyne Chapman praised Elvy McEwen for “cleaning up” on the bowling and congratulated the other boys for competing for every ball while on the field.Enjoy your week & we will be back in a few weeks with more cricket news.

By MATT ZELLGilgandra’s re-entry into the Brewery Shield competition after many years in the wilderness was a tough one with Narromine putting them on the back foot early and never letting up. Narromine won the toss and elected to bat in very favourable batting conditions and got away to a flyer with the openers putting on 85 for the first wicket in even time. Ben Hjort was able to make the breakthrough but the runs kept on piling up. The Gil bowlers all toiled gamely but the hosts showed why they are three time premiers in the last four seasons with a brutal and dominant performance with the bat. At the end of their innings they had amassed a whopping 7/343 with their skipper Doug Potter being particularly savage on anything too full or short to smash his way to 92 off just 66 balls. Hugh Duncan ended up with 3/35, Ben Hjort 2/73 with Oska Brooker and Ash Hazelton picking up a wicket each. Gilgandra’s run chase got off to the worst of starts with a lame Pete Rothwell being run out in the 2nd over closely followed by skipper Jaimie Zell an over later. Wickets began to fall at regular intervals with only Ash Hazelton (60) and Liam Zell (22) managing any resistance against the home side. When their last wicket fell the scoreboard read ALL OUT 125 which meant a 218 run annihilation. All players who attended should be congratulated on their efforts as they remained positive all day and with the availability of several big names in the upcoming matches Gilgandra are very confident of being very competitive in this competition. What was particularly pleasing is that we had representation from 6 of the 9 teams in our local competition which holds us in good stead moving forward. Gilgandra's next game of Brewery Shield is against Nyngan on Sunday 5 December and we hope to have harvest out of the way and a full strength team ready to fire. 

LOCAL NRL superstar Braidon Burns will be trading in the green and red for the blue and white next season, following his recent signing of a two-year deal with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.The 25-year-old winger, who grew up in Coonamble, has spent the last five years with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, playing 40 games and scoring 10 tries since debuting in 2017.He has just returned to his base in Sydney after spending the past three months in Queensland during the team’s finals campaign.After sustaining a knee injury last year, he was able to recover to play eight matches this year and was named in the 21-man squad in the 2021 Grand Final against Penrith Panthers.Mr Burns said the decision to move to the Bulldogs was quite recent but was excited to be among several new recruits joining the club from next season.“I was negotiating with a few other clubs in the past few weeks - the Bulldogs came in a bit later but they were pretty quick with everything and showed they really wanted to sign me,” he said.“When it comes to the new squad next year, people have been thinking it’s looking like a lot of backs, but they’ve brought on a lot of good forwards too, so it was a no-brainer for me.”Mr Burns said he also has a personal connection to the Bulldogs side, his uncle being a former player and friends back home being big fans of the team.“I was actually looking through some old childhood photos and saw one of me in a Bulldogs jersey, which was pretty funny to see,” he said with a chuckle.Braidon is not a stranger to the white and blue, pictured here in a Bulldogs jersey as a child. Image supplied.“Also, my friends back in Coonamble, the Fernandos, are nearly all Bulldogs supporters, so I think they’ll be pretty supportive. “One of my close friends back there Teemon (Fernando) was actually sending some photos of him in Rabbitohs jerseys, so I guess he’s going to need to swap back to Bulldogs now.”Mr Burns will join several other new recruits to the Bulldogs backline, including Matt Burton, Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Dufty and Brent Naden. Bulldogs Chief Executive Aaron Warburton said he was very excited to see what Mr Burns would bring to the team.“Adding depth in all positions is something that we have worked hard to achieve, and to be able to sign someone of Braidon’s ability and strikepower is a major boost for our backline,” he said."Braidon is a hard worker who wants the chance to succeed, and we are delighted that he has chosen to come to Belmore at a time when he is moving into the best stage of his career.”A caricature of Braidon in the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs jersey. Image courtesy of new1drawn.Looking back on his time with South Sydney, Mr Burns said although injury had prevented him from cementing a spot on the first-grade team he had really enjoyed the last five years.“It’s been a great time in my life - I’ve made lots of good friends and during some hard times in my life, the club helped me get through them,” he said.“I’ll be forever grateful for everything they have done for me.”Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said Mr Burns had been a committed part of the club on and off the field and, while he was sorry to see him go, he wished him well for the future.“Braidon is a quality footballer and an even better person and it’s sad to see him move on,” Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly said.“He has battled through injuries to represent our club as well as touch the community through his excellent work with Souths Cares.Looking ahead, Mr Burns said he was looking forward to spending some time in the off-season closer to his roots before kicking off a fresh start with his new team.“Because I was with the Rabbitohs for five years, I feel like I may have got a bit comfortable, so it will be good to feel a need to really push myself again to earn the respect of the other boys,” he said.“As for the off-season, I’m waiting to see what happens with the borders - I’m still a country boy, so I’m really keen to get back to Coonamble and see everyone.”“My partner and I are both double-vaxxed, so once we’re allowed to travel, we’ll look forward to coming out that way soon.”

By COLIN HODGESBrett Robb is a great young horseman and as the trainer of On A Promise he had a long range plan to win the $50,000 Picnic Racing Championship at the Coonamble Cup meeting.That plan came to fruition on Sunday when On A Promise trained to peak on the day won in resounding style.Formerly from Nyngan and now with a sizeable team in work at Dubbo, Robb trains On A Promise for a group of keen racing fans from Lake Cargelligo and Tullibigeal and they have landed a string of betting plunges on their horse over the Picnic Racing season.Following successive wins at Coonamble, Gilgandra and in TAB company at Narromine , On A Promise starting the $2.20 favourite was brilliantly ridden by Brent Evans in the Final, over 1400 metres.When taken on for the early lead by Combogolong, Evans eased On A Promise to take a trail before releasing the brakes in the straight.On A Promise shot away and won by over three lengths from the strong finishing 10 year old mare Malibu Stacy (Leandro Ribeiro,$9) from the Connie Greig stable at Dubbo with the Darryl Rolfe, Canberra trained Opera Tickets (Ricky Blewitt,$9) running on well for third.Aesop’s Fable, owned by Dominic and Karen Neate, is a recent acquisition from Sydney stables for Moree trainer Peter Sinclair, has in succession won the Dubbo Cup and Coonamble Cup.A quality field of 16 lined up for the $75,000 Geronimo-New Holland Agriculture Coonamble Showcase Cup over 1600 metres with the Canberra trained Ready To Humble starting the favourite.Terrius and Hit The Target were the leaders with East Indiaman and Rich And Shameless close up in the run to the home turn.Rich And Shameless (Rachael Murray,$12) took a split along the rails and darted clear but was overhauled in the final strides and beaten a length by Aesop’s Fable (Ashley Morgan,$7) which rushed home from well back while Ready To Humble (Clayton Gallagher,$3.40 favourite) also came with a late run to be a short neck away third.The Dar Lunn, Dubbo trained Classy Rebel continued a remarkable campaign with yet another win, this time in the $37,000 Keady Family Showcase Crystal Sprint over 1200 metres.Despite winning an incredible 9 races over the past year and renowned for fighting qualities, Classy Rebel was at amazing $10 odds for the feature sprint.The talented Clayton Gallagher, formerly from Nyngan, was in the saddle and from an outside barrier quickly had Classy Rebel in a good position behind the leader, the Broken Hill trained Superhard.Breaking clear in the straight, Classy Rebel won by two lengths from Drachenfels (Brooke Stower,$31) and Wild Rocket (Mathew Cahill,$10).The Coonamble meeting had outstanding racing with big fields in the nine .events.

By COLIN HODGESTHE 12 month build-up comes to conclusion on Sunday with the $50,000 Final of the NSW Picnic Championship to be run at the Coonamble Cup TAB meeting.Horses have accumulated points for wins and placings at the 18 Picnic meetings conducted and the 12 leaders on the ladder are automatic qualifiers for the 1400 metres Final.Connections of those just outside the top bracket will anxiously await the final acceptances due on Thursday morning to see if their horses gain a start after expected withdrawals.(Nominations were due on Tuesday morning after this column went to press).Now in the fourth year, the Picnic Championship has proved a wonderful concept with the prizemoney about 10 times the amount offered for races during the season and the Picnic jockeys getting the opportunity to ride before a world wide audience on the SKY network.Owners and trainers have followed the circuit from a wide area of NSW and several Canberra stables will be represented in the Final.Likely favourites include the Brett Robb, Dubbo-trained On A Promise and Madison Point trained at Canberra by Rob Potter as both were impressive winners at the recent Narromine TAB meeting.Owned by a syndicate from Lake Cargelligo and Tullibigeal, On A Promise has been very costly for bookmakers with the 6 year old gelding being the subject of several successful betting plunges by the syndicate members.Earlier in the season On A Promise won Picnic races at Gilgandra (1550 metres),and Bedgerabong (1100 metres) and the last three wins have been in succession at Coonamble Picnics, Gilgandra and Narromine.Taking on the toughest task to date, against TAB company over 1200 metres at Narromine, On A Promise surprised even the owners with the performance when reeling in the leaders for a strong win over Witness Collector and Makuba.At the same meeting, Madison Point travelled behind the leading pack before finishing best to account for Dicko’s Mate and Chestnut Scaffa in a Class 2 Handicap over 1300 metres.The consistent form of Madison Point during the series included Picnic wins at Cootamundra, Ardlethan and Goulburn in restricted class races.Doug Gorrel from Canberra has qualified Sestina which has winning form at TAB meetings but over shorter distances than the Final. Sestina won sprint races at Bligh Picnics and Tullibigeal Picnics and also excels on heavy tracks while just outside the top 12 is the Doug Gorrel trained Keep Me Posted winner of the Picnic Cups at Tomingley (1500 metres) and Cootamundra (1400 metres).Another Canberra trainer with a qualifier is Darryl Rolfe with Opera Tickets, winner of the 1700 metres Boorowa Picnic Cup and placed in Picnic Cups at Cootamundra and Tullibigeal.Dubbo trainer Connie Greig qualified Malibu Stacy, Regina Margherita, Equibrium and the sprinter Call Me Trinity.Noted for a big finish from the back of the field, the 10 year old mare Malibu Stacy won the 1600 metres Picnic Cups at Bourke and Tullibigeal, Regina Margherita won the Tottenham Picnic Cup (1400 metres)and Equilibrium was placed in Picnic races at llunnedah, Quambone (Cup ), Bligh (Cup), Moree (Cup) and won 1600 metres Professional races at Quirindi and Brewarrina.Peter Reynolds from Dubbo is the trainer of both the highest point scorer for the series  Drummed Out and the fourth placed Nevada Sunrise.Drummed Out won the Open Sprints at Bedgerabong (800 metres ) and Tottenham (1000 metres) and has won over 1400 metres earlier in the career while Nevada Sunrise won the Condobolin Picnic Cup (1400 metres) and was runner-up in the Tottenham Picnic Cup.Of all the qualifiers the Bryan Dixon, Gilgandra trained Song One is arguably the most classy as apart from winning the Bedgerabong Picnic Cup when ridden by 17 year old Will Stanley from Bathurst, Song One won TAB races at Coonamble and Mudgee and was placed in the $70,000 Mudgee Cup (TAB) and $40,000 Gilgandra Cup (TAB).Nepenthes from the Clint Lundholm stable is just outside the automatic qualifiers with strong finishing wins at Bedgerabong (1400 metres) and Wellington (1600 metres) and ran third over 1600 metres at the recent Narromine TAB meeting.Trainer Brett Robb and the Baradine based owner Dennis Todd are hoping Combogolong can sneak a spot in the Final. The improving Combogolong won restricted class Picnic races at Quambone, Moree, Bligh, and Coonamble and then won in TAB company over 1200 metres at Narromine.The Picnic jockey ranks will have an international presence with Brazilian born Leandro Ribeiro and Anaelle Gangatena, formerly from Ecuador, riding in the Final.Leandro Ribeiro will probably have first choice of the Connie Greig starters while Anaelle Gangatena is almost certain to ride one of the Canberra trained horses.The feature race on Sunday is the $80,000 Coonamble Gold Cup and an outstanding field of quality gallopers is expected.

By BRYSON LUFF Cobar’s Thomas Plater along with Dunedoo’s Hayley Cox and Baradine’s Billy Carey have been announced as the Christie and Hood Castlereagh 2021 Player Of the Year recipients in first grade, league tag and youth league respectively. Plater, a new arrival in Cobar after his appointment to the local high school as a teacher at the start of the year, quickly established himself as a high quality hooker for the very well performed Rooster’s first grade side.Apart from being an explosive runner from the dummy half position, posing many questions to opposition defences throughout the season, he was also the foundation for much of Cobar’s structured play as well as being an excellent defender.The Roosters will be keen to have him continue playing for them for some time to come, his contribution to the team being highly significant in the them winning the minor premiership in the season unfortunately cut short by COVID. Dunedoo Swanette Hayley Cox received 2021 Player of the Year in Leaguetag.Hayley Cox, the Dunedoo Swannette’s talented half back and co-captain has put in many outstanding displays on the league tag field this year, her winning of the Player Of The Year being remarkable in the fact that she missed quite a number of games whilst being engaged in another of her sporting passions.Hayley is heavily involved in equestrian showjumping, where she once again competed at a very high standard, as evidenced by her being placed second at this year’s Royal Easter Show in Sydney.Apart from her obvious talent as a league tag player the Dunedoo RLFC sing Hayley’s praise for her enthusiastic and dedicated approach to the club and her team in what is a very hectic sporting and working life that she leads.  Youth League Player of the Year award went to Billy Carey, Baradine Magpie.Apprentice butcher, Billy Carey, from Baradine has picked up the Youth League Player Of The Year Award.The likeable Carey is a very well respected member of the Baradine Magpies club and the Baradine community, being a talented player with a great attitude.This year he took on a leadership role within his team, moving from fullback in to the halves.In the latter stages of the year Carey also played in the Magpies first grade side and more than held his own.Apart from his talent as a player Carey is also a promising referee.

By COLIN HODGESTHE countdown has started for the $50,000 NSW Picnic Racing Championship at Coonamble on October 10, following the final qualifier at the recent meeting held at Gunnedah.Points were allocated for wins and placings throughout the series and were on a sliding scale depending on the value of the race such as Picnic Cups with higher prizemoney than that for restricted class races.Once again the series was impacted by the pandemic with 18 Picnic meetings held while 16 were abandoned due to COVID-19 restrictions.A field of 12 will contest the Final with the Peter Reynolds, Dubbo trained Drummed Out being the top qualifier with 30 points.Drummed Out, apart from placings, won 800 metres and 1000 metres Bracelet Sprint Races at Tottenham and Bedgerabong and in previous years has.won over 1400 metres, the distance of the Final.Michael Johnston, a well known rodeo rider from Wellington, was the winning jockey this year on both Drummed Out and the Peter Reynolds trained Nevada Sunrise which won the Condobolin Picnic Cup and is the 4th highest qualifier for the Final.Owned by a syndicate of keen racing fans and punters from Lake Cargelligo and Tullibigeal is the Brett Robb, Dubbo trained On A Promise, the 2nd highest qualifier.Landing a number of successful betting plunges for supporters, On A Promise won at Gilgandra, Bedgerabong and Coonamble from 1000 metres to 1550 metres and ran placings at Tottenham and Forbes.Maddison Wright, the current NSW Premiership winner for Picnic jockeys, is likely to ride On A Promise in the Final.In a noteworthy achievement, Dubbo trainer Connie Greig has Regina Margherita, Call Me Trinity, Malibu Stacy and Equilibrium all qualified for the final field.Regina Margherita won the 1400 metres Tottenham Picnic Cup and was placed at Bedgerabong, Bligh and Wellington while the now 10 year old Malibu Stacy won the Cups at Bourke and Tullibigeal.Originally from Brazil and now based in Sydney, Leandro Ribeiro was the regular jockey over the season for the Connie Greig stable.Trained at Gilgandra by Bryan Dixon, the very well performed Song One has qualified and shapes as a leading contender having won the Bedgerabong Cup when ridden by 17 year old Will Stanley from Bathurst and away from the Picnics was placed at TAB meetings against classy opposition in the Mudgee Cup and Gilgandra Cup.An indication of the success of the Picnic Championship is that trainers, Doug Gorrel, Rob Potter and Darryl Rolfe, all from Canberra, have on numerous occasions made long trips to race on the circuit.Trained by Doug Gorrel, Keep Me Posted won the Cups at Tomingley and Cootamundra with Anaelle Gangatena who came to Australia from her birthplace Ecuador being the rider.Anaelle Gangatena also won on the Rob Potter trained Madison Point at Ardlethan, Cootamundra and Goulburn to secure qualification for that galloper.Darryl Rolfe is always keen to get multiple premiership winning rider Ricky Blewitt from Narromine on his starters and the Canberra trainer has Boorowa Picnic Cup winner Opera Tickets qualified and is hopeful either Rheingau or Waldo Waldorf can make the Final from just outside the top 12.With a month to go before the Final, horses just outside the top 12 can still make the field depending on withdrawals.In the case of horses with equal points the first eliminated by ballot will be the lowest on the pointscore and if still equal the lowest Benchmark miss out.As the average prize money for a Picnic race is about $4,000 the $50,000 for the Picnic Championship is a tremendous incentive to be in the Final on Coonamble Gold Cup day.

Western Plains Rugby Union have decided to call it a day on the 2021 rugby union season, after a zone meeting late last week saw all clubs in attendance voting for the season to be abandoned. The decision comes almost three weeks after the major semi-final game to be held in Nyngan was postponed following cases of Covid-19 in the region.  Western Plains Rugby Union (WPRU) President Peter Holcombe says that the ‘return to play’ instructions set by Rugby Australia were too challenging for the clubs to meet, which required all teams to engage in two weeks of training prior to resuming play.With even training unable to commence until at least September 10, as well as uncertainty around the allowance of crowds, too many factors meant that the return of the season would come too late in the year, and with too many complications. “By then we’ll probably run into hot weather, and if we push into October then the players around Coonamble and Walgett will be thinking about starting harvest,” Mr Holcombe said. Walgett and Nyngan were set to play each other heading into the semi-finals in the men’s’ competition, the winner going up against Warren in the finals. Meanwhile the women’s competition was still in full swing, with only Cobar and Bourke out of running. While the season came to an abrupt ending, there were many standouts for 2021, including the commencement of the women’s competition with teams entered from every club except for Nyngan. Another highlight of the year was Nyngan’s Bogan Bulls men’s XV team, who went undefeated through the entirety of the home and away season, an accomplishment that, according to Mr Holcombe, hasn’t been seen since Coonamble in the early 2010s.There’s still excitement on the horizon for a big rugby union season in 2022, with the women’s’ competition set to continue with hopes that there will be an opportunity for tackle games to run as well as the existing touch games. “The women’s’ games were really well received this year, so we’ll keep that going. For the moment, it’s just touch but there’s building interest in tackle,” Mr Holcombe said.“This year is a stepping stone in the direction of big things for women’s rugby on the Western Plains,” he said. Next year, Mr Holcombe hopes to build up the numbers and strength of each club. While Bourke were unable to form a men’s’ side this year – instead joining with the Brewarrina club to form a team – the aim of WPRU is to get each club competing on their own again, even if it takes a few years to achieve.“With the curtain drawn on 2021, we now look forward to a bigger, better, hopefully covid free 2022 Western Plains season!”

By JEFF HANSON, NSW Country & Picnic RacingRacing NSW will soon lose one of their most experienced stewards with Western and Central Districts Chief Stipe Todd Smith set to hang up the binoculars. The 23-year veteran of the sport kicked off his career in the late 1990s and has been in his current job since 2005, overseeing countless meetings across country NSW.When asked about his decision to pull up stumps with Racing NSW, Smith explained it was merely time for a change. “I’ve been doing this for a while now and I’ve just got heaps to do at home. I will get in and sort that out and work out my next step from there,” Smith said.Todd Smith receives acknowledgement from Coonamble Jockey Club President Ken Waterford at the pop-up Picnic Races at Coonamble in August 2021.The popular steward has only known racing, with the Gundagai born and bred lad raised around the thoroughbred and harness racing industries. “I was born there in Gundy and probably lived there for the first 10 years of my life and moved away to Tamworth,” Smith said. “I used to go back to Gundagai every school holiday and stay at my grandparents place and Gundagai would have been the first meeting I attended.“I was always around racing. My mother’s side of the family was into harness racing in the Tamworth area and my dad and pop were into racing. We’d be going to races every Saturday.“That is what I was brought up with. We wouldn’t miss too many meetings, and dad and pop owned a couple of horses.”When attending Farrer Agriculture High School in Tamworth, Smith’s interest in the sport grew before he earned a rare chance to enter the industry. “It was a funny story; my principal at the time, he was also a part-time steward and one weekend I was at the races, and I saw him and asked him how he got into that sort of job,” Smith said. “The next week in math class, he pulled me out of class, drove me into town and I met the Tamworth Stewards in their office, and they said there was some part-time work. “After that, I worked as a part time steward; doing things like swabbing and betting supervisor for 11 months and then I got a cadetship in Sydney.”An 18-year-old Smith was then off to Sydney prior to moving around to many other racing regions and learning his craft before finally settling into the top job in Dubbo in 2005.“In those times, you had to do your cadetship. I started in Sydney and then I was there for about 18 months, then Tamworth for three months then I went to Wagga for about 18 months,” he said.“I went to Dubbo, and I was here for about 18 months and then I went to Queanbeyan, and I was there for about the same period and after that I moved to Dubbo and have been here ever since.”During his time, Smith watched many talented gallopers grace the track and he said the Tracey Bartley trained Sniper’s Bullet was the best of them all.“The best horse I watched race in the area was Sniper’s Bullet. It won its first two starts as a two-year-old in Dubbo before going on to win three Group Ones,” he said. “Other very good horses include King Rex (Ramornie Handicap winner), Izababe, Shiraz and Platinum Skye. Stoneyrise was a very talented horse whose career was cut short due to an accident. “Star of Universe, a hairy little chestnut horse that one 21 races from 190 odd starts was the toughest.”As far as the best victory he ever watched, it came at Enngonia back in 2017 when the Clint Lundholm trained Tuncoona bolted in for a big win under the guidance of Michael Hackett.  “The easiest win I ever witnessed was by a mare called Tuncoona in an Enngonia maiden,” he said. “It jumped straight to the front and appeared to be going half-pace for the rest of the race before winning by eleven lengths under a hold.”Michael Hackett checks over his shoulder for the rest of the field as he steers Tuncoona to a runaway victory at the Engonnia Races in 2017. PHOTO courtesy Janian McMillan, Racing Photography.Hand in hand with the highs of the racing industry, came the darkest of lows for Smith, who was on course for the deaths of two jockeys: one being Damien Murphy at Wellington in 2007 and the second being Reece Potter at Tomingley in 2011.“Obviously the worst things to happen that pop straight into my head are the two deaths of two riders and the serious injury to Michael Hackett,” Smith said. “I was the first person on the scene both times as they nearly happened directly in front of me. “You are not trained to deal with it, and you are not sure how you are going to handle it when it happens, so yeah, it was tough.”As far as highlights, Smith said being around the bigger meetings and watching small committees host successful race days were right up there. “I can’t single out any career highlight, as it is a difficult job to have highlights in,” Smith said. “I really enjoyed working at the bigger cup meetings in the area every year and the Country Championships meetings. “I also enjoyed the once-a-year and picnic meetings, where the committees worked hard every year to make a success of what is an important annual event for a lot of communities.” Smith did take pride in the improvement of facilities in the Western and Central Districts during his tenure.“Looking back, I see a lot of improvements in safety for participants and horses that I have implemented in the area since I have been here, which I would say would be a highlight,” Smith said.“For a lot of the once-a-year clubs, at the end of the meeting I would give them a safety improvement project to complete before their next meeting, which continued to improve the safety of their tracks and facilities.”With a career change looming, Smith will wind up in his role with Racing NSW in the coming weeks, although he hinted, he wouldn’t be completely lost to the racing industry. “I haven’t really got anything set in concrete at the moment,” Smith laughed. “I’m going to take some time off, work on my farm in Geurie but in some way, I would like to stay in racing – we will have to wait and see what happens.”

By COLIN HODGESClassy Rebel and Patrick May are both tough and talented gallopers and their clash in the 1280 metre Collie Hotel Cup was a highlight on Saturday 21 August at Gilgandra.Trained at Dubbo by Dar Lunn for Guy Mitchell (Binnaway) and Rob Pratten (Dubbo), Classy Rebel since May has won 5 or 9 races while the Leo Harland trained Patrick May two starts back won the Satellite at Parkes and has continually raced well against strong company.Rock hard in fitness after several recent outings Classy Rebel started the $3.50 favourite at Gilgandra while Patrick May resuming from a 10 weeks break started at $3.70.Away quickly from the outside barrier, Patrick May pressured Classy Rebel for the lead with Casey Waddell on Proudest Moment who was also keen to have a piece of the up front action in the run to the home turn.After a good battle, Classy Rebel (Clayton Gallagher) pulled away to beat Patrick May (Jake Pracey-Holmes) by a length and a half with a short head to Gadfly (Tony Cavallo $11), the 2019 Picnic Championship winner.As only essential personnel were allowed at the meeting due to Covid-19 restrictions, the majority of local owners who race the Kieren Hazleton trained Chesty were watching from home as their 4year old gelding contested the 1200 metre Ahrens Maiden Handicap.However one owner, the Gilgandra Jockey Club President Jason Tate, was on course helping run the meeting and was pleased with the performance of Chesty, at the third start in a race.In front turning for home, Chesty (Jake Pracey-Holmes, $18) held on to score by a half length from Jumping Power (Aaron Sweeney,$13) with over three lengths to the third placed Castlehyde (Jackson Searle, $1.55 favourite).Making it a double for Gilgandra stables, the Bryan Dixon trained Renzulli ($6) well ridden by apprentice Zara Lewis came from fifth nearing the home turn to beat Valarian (Ken Dunbar, $6.50) by a short head with Lake Tanganyika (Daniel Northey, $26) third in the 1100 metre Geronimo Farm Equipment Benchmark 50 Handicap.Kylie Kennedy who won her home town Narromine Cup with Wild Rocket completed a big week when as the trainer of Padrone she won the 1000 metre Mick & Margaret Brophy Memorial Maiden Plate at Gilgandra.In form jockey Clayton Gallagher was aboard as Padrone ($3.80) overhauled the leader Chevalier De Frise (Tony Cavallo, $2.30 favourite) with Sizzling Star (Jake Pracey-Holmes ,$5) running home well for third.Overcoming a wide barrier, the Kody Nestor trained Music Miss ( Blanch, $7.50) finished strongly from well back to win the 1100 metre Bob & Clare Coxedge Memorial Benchmark 50 Handicap while Expect A Hero (Madeline Owen, $6) led most of the way to win the 800 metre Cam & Dorothy Carmichael Benchmark 50 Handicap for Dubbo trainer Brett Robb.Going to the early lead from the outside barrier, the Melissa Dennett, Tamworth trained Ballast (Jackson Searle, 4.50 fav.) won the 1600 metre Keith Kilby Memorial Benchmark 50 Handicap by over three lengths from Zoey Lass (Tiffany Jeffries, $7.50) and Fiveash (Clayton Gallagher, $8.50).Warren is set to race on Saturday with a TAB meeting.

THE 2021 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League competition is currently suspended due to the NSW Dept of Health regulations that are in place.Castlereagh League spokesperson Bryson Luff indicated that initially there were three Local Government Areas affected earlier last week which put the last round of the competition in jeopardy, and following advice from NSWRL, round 18 games set down to be played last Saturday were suspended.Since then the entire state of NSW has been placed under Stay at Home orders and what lies ahead is unknown.“Obviously our hands are tied until we know how long it will be until we can resume playing, but we need to talk about a number of possible options for the completion of our 2021 competition, and put a time frame on when we move from one option to the next,” Mr Luff said.“At the moment Castlereagh League cannot give definitive advice on what might lie ahead, but what I can say is that we will be doing everything possible to ensure that the 2021 season is concluded. How that conclusion is arrived at remains to be seen.“Given the fact that we were one of a very few competitions in NSW country that ran last year the commitment of the Castlereagh clubs, their players, their supporters and their sponsors cannot be questioned, and that same commitment still exists so everyone out here will be doing their utmost to get through the current situation and get on with it!”A video meeting on Monday night 16 August devised various scenarios for completing the competition, with semi-finals to be held after two weeks training time if time permits, or going straight to an October grand final between the two top teams if lockdowns persist.

THE Castlereagh Cougars Women's Rugby League club is currently taking registrations from players for the coming season and are seeing a response that reflects the increasing popularity of the game across NSW.The NSW Rugby League (NSWRL) recently announced that female participation had hit record numbers this season, with around 23,000 signing up to play the game, compared to 18,915 in 2019. “Regardless of whether it’s a town of 200 or 200,000, we are seeing more and more women wanting to play Rugby League which can only benefit our game in the future. It’s also pleasing to see our players spread across heartland areas in both metropolitan Sydney and Regional NSW."This year the Cougars have five teams to fill and President Sam Turnbull says that they have already had to close the books for the Opens and Under 16s because they had reached their capacity of 22 players allowed under the rules."We've had lots and lots of interest this year," Ms Turnbull said. "Registrations have been going really well but we still have places in the 18s,14s, and 12s."As well as girls and women from the traditional Castlereagh towns of Coonamble, Gilgandra, Coonabarabran, Baradine, Coolah, Dunedoo and Warren, the Cougars have this year picked up players from the Barwon Darling area."We have one from Walgett, a few Bourke girls in the Opens and the younger age groups and a good solid group from Cobar this year," Ms Turnbull said. "We have players from pretty well all the towns."With the first round due to start on 17 & 18 September, Ms Turnbull says her committee were about to release their training dates when the latest covid lockdown was announced."We're currently waiting to see what happens," she said. "The training days will mostly focus on the juniors to bring them together and teach them proper tackling and that sort of thing.""A lot of the Opens players are still in the Leaguetag season," she said."We were hoping to have a day this weekend actually, but we're not there yet."*Prizewinners at the Castlereagh Cougars' 2020 presentation day held in Gilgandra earlier this year with coach Channy Burgess (centre) and Cougars Club President Samantha Turnbull (2nd from right).The NSWRL say that there has been 104% growth in the number of female players across the Group 14 zone since 2019 with the Cougars, who started in 2018 with just two grades, contributing at least 20%.Ms Turnbull says that almost all other clubs in Group 14 have seen amazing growth and she expects the numbers will continue to increase as the season gets underway.Cougars will line up against the Mid West Brumbies (formerly Mudgee Dragons), Panorama Platypi (Bathurst), Wiradjuri Goannas (Dubbo), the Orange Vipers and Woodbridge (the small central west towns reaching from Canowindra to Peak Hill)."I'm pretty sure some of the Goannas grades are full because we've had expressions of interest from girls in Narromine and Nyngan who are within the Wiradjuri boundary," Ms Turnbull said."Once they're full the rules allow their players to try Castlereagh or Woodbridge."The 2021 competition is to include eight games across a round and a half."If we get started it should be good," Ms Turnbull said. "Especially with the Cougars coming out as a stand-alone club.""Up until this year we were tucked under the umbrella of the men's Castlereagh RL and we've definitely been able to make it more focused on female participation and growing the pathways for young girls coming up."Preparing girls to take advantage of the broader opportunities in rugby league has become a key factor for the Cougars new leadership.The NSWRL runs the state’s premier women’s competition, the Harvey Norman NSW Women’s Premiership, and provides another valuable pathway with the Harvey Norman Tarsha Gale Cup for Under 19s participants.  These competitions flow into NSWRL representative fixtures including the Harvey Norman City v Country match, the Harvey Norman NSW Under 19s Women’s Origin team, and the Harvey Norman NSW Sky Blues.Ms Turnbull believes it is state and national WRL competitions, with televised games that underlies the surge in interest from females wanting to play the game."I think it's definitely the NRLW particularly, and the comps you can see on TV that's driving it" she said. "And we also had all that exposure form those girls who came out of our competition last year who played in the NSW team.""We've got a real focus on pathways for our under 18s teams," she said.

By COLIN HODGESWild Rocket has been a difficult horse to train and Kylie Kennedy deserved the win in her home town Qube Narromine Gold Cup with the five year old mare.A noted bad traveller, Wild Rocket had nevertheless finished second in a Country Championship Qualifier at Coonamble and fourth in the Final at Royal Randwick earlier this year. Making it two wins and a second at Narromine, Wild Rocket again demonstrated a liking for the home track with an outstanding performance in the 1600 metres Cup.One of five winners on the day for Cowra jockey Mathew Cahill, Wild Rocket ( $5 ) came from last to win the Cup by over a length from the Forbes Cup winner From The Bush (Tony Cavallo,$2.60 favourite) with the $91 outsider Caszar (Ken Dunbar) running a tremendous third for Forbes trainer Barry Molloy.This was the first Narromine Cup won by Kylie Kennedy.Patience, timing and brilliant horsemanship were all on display when Mathew Cahill rode the last five winners on Cup Day.One of the wins was shared when Cahill on the Myron Cooper trained Elgin ($9.50) figured in a dead heat for first with Combogolong (Casey Waddell, $9) in the 1200 metres Lesley Walsh Memorial Class 1 Handicap.Bred and raced by Dennis Todd from Baradine and trained at Dubbo by Brett Robb, Combogolong had won Picnic races this year at Marthaguy, Moree, Bligh and Coonamble and making the transition to TAB company was only caught in the laSt stride by Elgin.Two of Cahill’s winners were Cowra gallopers, Champagne Daisy ($18) trained by his brother in law Michael Lynch to win the 800 metres Douglas Egan Memorial Benchmark 66 Handicap and in the 1300 metres Thank You And Farewell Todd Smith Benchmark 58 Handicap, Deshawn ($2.90 favourite) trained by Barry Wall, the track curator for Cowra Jockey Club.Starting the five win haul for Mathew Cahill was the Peter Bloomfield , Scone trained War Heart ($2.50 favourite) in the Narromine Shire Council Maiden Handicap.*A frosty finish line at Narromine ahead of their successful day on Sunday 15 August for the Qube Narromine Gold Cup. PHOTO: Narromine Turf Club facebook.Good day for Gilgandra connectionsJohn Smith, a Life Member of Gilgandra Jockey Club, is at most Western area race meetings however he missed being on course at Narromine on Sunday to see Occasional win the 1600 metres Class 1 & Maiden Plate. Due to the Statewide lockdown caused by the Covid -19 outbreak, spectators, including owners, were prevented from attending race meetings however John Smith was most likely watching the Sky Channel coverage at home and enjoying the top run produced by his six year old mare.With apprentice Jackson Searle in the saddle, the $41 outsider Occasional came from last with a big finish to beat Rusty Hawk (Mikayla Weir, $7) by a length with Poseidon Ruler (Ashley Morgan,$2.50) a long neck away third.Kieran Hazleton who trains Occasional at Gilgandra had won the 1000 metres Bob Skinner Master Painter Class 1 Handicap the previous day at Parkes with Japingka.Expect A Hero (Clayton Gallagher) held a good lead in the straight however was overhauled by Japingka and beaten almost a length with Any Loose Change (Tony Cavallo) holding on for third.Zara Lewis who is apprenticed to Bryan Dixon at Gilgandra, gave Japingka a nice run behind the leaders and this was the 8th winner for Lewis during a relatively short career.My Money Tree (Clayton Gallagher) from the Kylie Kennedy stable at Narromine was an all the way winner of the 1200 metres Maiden Handicap from Benoni (Aaron Sweeney) and Buggil (Elissa Meredith).Dubbo trainer Connie Greig continued her recent run of success when Get Up Alby (Aaron Sweeney) travelled fourth on the rails then sprinted home to beat the leader Say Madam (Kath Bell-Pitomac) and Miss Monte (Tiffany Jeffries) in the 1300 metres Hankook Tyres Benchmark 50 Handicap.Opening event at Parkes was the 800 metre Carpet Choice Maiden Plate and the Terry Fahey, Narromine trained Hireach (Ken Dunbar) took the early lead and won by nearly five lengths from In The Mail (Clayton Gallagher) and Cod Bye (Stephan Joseph).Bookmakers and the Tote did not operate on the Parkes meeting due to the Covid-19 restrictions..TAB meetings are planned for Gilgandra on Saturday and Bathurst on Monday.

By BRYSON LUFFThe Cobar Roosters will finish as the first grade minor premiers of the 2021 Christie and Hood Castlereagh League even if they are to lose their last competition game against the Gilgandra Panthers this coming Saturday in Gilgandra.The Roosters are at the top of the table, having lost only one game throughout the year, two points clear of the 2020 premiers, the Dunedoo Swans, and whilst a loss to the Panthers this weekend would not be ideal preparation for the finals series, the minor premiership is theirs due to their far superior points differential which cannot be bettered even if Dunedoo were to record a big win over the Trangie Magpies in the final round.The top five in first grade is sorted, but not so the final finishing order, with Gulgong Terriers and Coonabarabran Unicorns fighting it out for fourth position on the ladder which would give them hosting rights for the elimination semi final on Sunday 22 August.Both teams are locked together on 22 competition points with Gulgong holding an advantage in terms of points differential and with the Terriers assured of two competition points courtesy of the bye the Unicorns must win by a sizeable margin in their game against Baradine to leapfrog Gulgong on the ladder.Meanwhile the Baradine Magpiettes have given themselves a very good shot at claiming the league tag minor premiership when they defeated the Dunedoo Swannettes 28 to 20 in another close encounter between the two sides last Saturday.The win puts them two points clear of the Swannettes on the competition table, but if they lose to third placed Coonabarabran this Saturday, and the Swannettes get up against Trangie it will come down to points difference, so the Magpies game against the Unicorns takes on a great degree of importance.Whilst the league tag game at Baradine bears a great deal of significance those two teams are assured of a place in the finals.Not so the game at Gilgandra between the Pink Panthers and the Cobar Roosterettes, the winner of which will advance to the semis, whilst it will be the season end for the vanquished!Round 17 of the competition saw the Coonamble Bears first grade side finish their 2021 commitments with a 68 to nil loss to the Gilgandra Panthers, with the highlight of the match being the five try haul to the Panther’s flying young winger, Kyzah Louie.The Bears had a good start to the day when their league tag side won an entertaining and close game against the Pink Panthers 20 points to 16, the win securing them a spot in the final five.At Dunedoo the win by the Baradine Magpies in the league tag could not be matched by their first grade side who were thumped 76 to nil by the Swans, and at Gulgong the Terriers were too strong for the Trangie Magpies in both grades winning the league tag 48 to 10 and first grade 54 to nil.At Cobar the home side recorded an important win in the league tag, winning 42 to 6 against Binnaway, that win propelling them into semi final contention.Christie and Hood Castlereagh League Round 17 ScoresYouth LeagueCobar 25 defeated Binnaway 0League TagCobar 42 (Brianna Watson 3, Alexandra Cain, Tyler Chiswick, Brennah Aumua, Kayla Hassan, Hannah Carroll tries, Watson 5 goals) defeated Binnaway 6 (Amy Jones try, Lisa Jones goal)Gulgong 48 (Laurissa Hay 3,Amali Hollow 2, Abby Hollow, Melissa Ballard, Ella Hawkins tries, Mel Robinson 8 goals) defeated Trangie 10 (Brittany Darcy, Grace Larance tries Emma Regan goal)Baradine 28 (Maria Nagy-Campbell 3, Fleur Andrews, Kate Masman tries, Nagy-Campbell 4 goals) defeated Dunedoo 20 (Gemma Mitchell, Alexis Gallagher, Hayley Cox, Kerrie Ward tries, Ceara Smith, Annie Christensen goals)Coonamble 20 (Shay Hooper 2,Tayla Pennell, Marnie Ryan tries, Emily Ryan 2 goals) defeated Gilgandra 16 (Chloe McLean 2, Emily Fardell tries, Shian Chatfield 2 goals)Coonabarabran byeCompetition table;Baradine 32 (+ 330), Dunedoo 30 (+309), Coonabarabran 24 (+182), Cobar 20 (+91), Coonamble 20 (+89), Gilgandra 20 (+27), Gulgong 10, Binnaway 10, Trangie 4.First GradeGulgong 54 (Sam Gorrie, Brendan Carter, Ethan Pegus, Gus Buckley, Dan Crane, Tom Reddish, Cal Ruming, Brad James, Luke Chapman tries, James Morrison 9 goals) defeated Trangie 0Dunedoo 76 (Kurt Thompson 3, Tom Shearman 3, Jake Darlington 3, Chanse Burgess 2, Camden Sutton, Matt Woods, Sam Christensen, Ben Thompson tries, Burgess 6, Ben Thompson 2 goals) defeated Baradine 0 (score recorded as 75 to nil)Gilgandra 68 (Kyzah Louie 5, Hayden Smith 2, Curtis Carr, George Alchin, DJ Smith, Kieren Hazelton, Brandon Hammond, Luke Ritchie tries,  Ritchie 7, Hayden Smith goals) defeated Coonamble 0Byes Cobar and CoonabarabranCompetition tableCobar 32 (+442), Dunedoo 30 (+255), Gilgandra 26 (+199) Gulgong 22 (+ 90) Coonabarabran 22 (+25), Baradine 13, Trangie 12, Coonamble 9.Round 18 Saturday August 25Binnaway V Gulgong, Trangie V Dunedoo, Baradine v Coonabarabran, Gilgandra V Cobar, Coonamble bye

By COLIN HODGESResuming from a spell, On A Promise cemented a spot in the $50,000 Picnic Championship Final when winning the 1100 metres QUBE Agri Open Sprint on Saturday at the Coonamble Picnic Meeting. The field for the 1400 metres Final at the Coonamble Gold Cup meeting on Sunday October 12 is decided by a point score over the Picnic circuit and On A Promise is a leader on the Qualifying ladder. *Barry McIntyre and Rusty Owens of race sponsors QubeAgri with winning syndicate members Andrew and Jess Hyder and Coonamble Jockey Club Secretary Ana Robson at the Picnic Races on Saturday 7 August.One of three winners on the day for Dubbo trainer Brett Robb and jockey Maddison Wright, On A Promise is raced by a syndicate mainly from Lake Cargelligo. and as usual was strongly supported in the betting ring. Leading for home, On A Promise ($3 favourite) ran out a comfortable winner over Madison Point (William Stanley,$8) and Scout (Ricky Blewitt,$3.60). Improving on recent form, Hotel Charlie ($7) raced by Barry Noble was the first leg of the Brett Robb and Maddison Wright treble when establishing a four lengths lead and then lasting to win the 1200 metres Geronimo Farm Equipment Maiden Plate by a half neck from Memphis Beau ( William Stanley,$2.50 fav.) and Benoni ( Brent Evans,$2.70 ). Yet again it was Brett Robb and Maddison Wright successful in the 1100 metres Nutrien Ag Solutions Class B Handicap when Combogolong ($5) made it 4 wins from 10 starts when leading most of the way to beat Japingka (Brent Evans,$2.50 fav.) and Lady Cornelia (Paula Heath,$17). Dennis Todd from Baradine who bred and owns Combogolong has been racing horses since 1964 and has won races at 49 different tracks. The cheers from the crowd said it all as local galloper Step ‘N’ Dollars (Brent Evans,$12) making ground from midfield reeled in the leaders to win the 1400 metres Dad & Dave Turf & Evergreen Turf Class B Handicap by nearly three lengths from Nepenthes (William Stanley,$5.50) and Diamonds Are Good (Maddison Wright,$2.10 fav.) Despite being a Maiden Class performer taking on the winners of up to 3 races, the Andrew Bayley, Coonamble trained Step ‘N’ Dollars, owned by several members of the Canham family, had plenty of support and proved a costly result for bookmakers. Brent Evans is an extremely talented rider and he displayed his class when the Gavin Groth, Gunnedah trained Danspur ( $3.50 ) from third on the rails gained a split and raced clear to account for Equilibrium (William Stanley,$4.80) and Lucienne (Maddison Wright,$11) in the 1300 metres Swanny’s Foods Open Handicap. Originally from Ecuador, Anaelle Gangotena became a trackwork rider in Canberra before obtaining a jockey licence and riding 10 winners in her first season. With a nice front running ride she won the 1600 metres Woodhams Petroleum Class 2 Handicap on the Doug Gorrel, Canberra trained Georgian Court ($2.30 fav.) which crossed the line over three lengths clear of Shiny Agent ( Maddison Wright,$4.40 ) and Occasional (Michael .T. Johnston,$4.40). Organised at short notice by Coonamble Jockey Club in conjunction with Racing NSW, the Meeting was staged to give owners and trainers a chance to start their horses as several recent Picnic Meetings had been cancelled due to Covid restrictions. The most recent Picnic Meetings conducted by the Coonamble Jockey Club were in 2003 and 2004. Prior to then the Oxley Picnics were held at Coonamble until that Club was disbanded in May 1979. Racing at Parkes (non-TAB) on Saturday and the Narromine Cup (TAB) on Sunday.

By JEFF HANSONA big road trip awaits Canberra trainer Doug Gorrel on Saturday as he prepares for a three-pronged assault on tomorrow's Coonamble picnic meeting. Gorrel and his team will make the 13-hour round trip in a bid to earn valuable Picnic Champion Series points.“It is a hike, but there will be plenty of drivers and we will probably stop halfway, get them out, stretch their legs and make sure their happy,” Gorrel said. “It’s bloody six and half hours but it’s all about getting Keep Me Posted into the (Picnic Champion Series) final.“I think he is on 15 points, and he needs a run anyhow and there is no low-level racing, so we thought we would head that way.”*Trainer Doug Gorrel is making the trek from Canberra to Coonamble on Saturday for the additional picnic race meeting organised by Racing NSW with the Coonamble Jockey Club. PHOTO: Facebook @douggorrelracing A myriad of lost community and picnic events has hurt the likes of Gorrel, who carry the odd picnic horse.“So many meetings have been cancelled because of Covid and being washed out and there is not enough of those low-level picnics and non tabbers,” Gorrel said. “So, we will pack up the kitchen sink and try our luck in Coonamble.”The Canberra trainer will team up with jockey Anaelle Gangotena on the day and he believed Keep Me Posted was his best chance, with the nine-year-old drawing gate four in the 1300m Open Trophy Handicap. “Keep Me Posted is a tough old horse and should go alright Sunday, he is just a good picnic horse,” Gorrel said. “That run at Wagga was unsuitably heavy; he does like a bit of give in the ground, but not that much, so we expect him to run well.”Gorrel also has Georgian Court contesting the 1600m Class Two Handicap, while Sheeza Menzies will contest the 1400m Class B Handicap.The Canberra trainer explained it was tough going when trying to place his horses at the moment, and once the current picnic racing season ended, he would have to sell some runners.“I will keep the two horses for the final (Keep Me Posted and Sestina), but the rest will have to go on the market, and we will hope that the weaker racing jurisdictions can pick them up,” Gorrel said. The last-minute Coonamble meeting was reasonably well supported by participants, with 46 acceptances across the six-race-program. Racing jumps at 1.30pm and the Coonamble Jockey Club will be supporting Royal Far West, with all entries being donated to the good cause. With thanks to NSW Country & Picnic Racing

By JEFF HANSONFollowing multiple picnic race meetings falling to the wayside due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent wet weather, Coonamble Jockey Club have stepped up to host a picnic meeting on Saturday.The six-race-program will include 1100m and 1300m Open Trophy Handicaps, 1100m and 1400m Class B Handicaps, a 1600m Class Two Trophy and a 1200m Maiden Plate. Jockey Club Vice-President Mick Heaney said there was already strong interest in the meeting. “I had three trainers ring me to find out the program,” Heaney said.“One was going to Dubbo, and one was going somewhere else, but they were happy to come here and send them around because it was a picnic meeting.”Heaney said it was important for a bigger club such as Coonamble to host meetings and look after regional trainers and racing participants.“I think it’s hugely important and it allows us to help places like Walgett, Come By Chance, Brewarrina, Carinda, Bourke, Marthaguy, Nyngan, Baradine and all the wider small communities,” Heaney said.“With Covid and all of this happening, it’s hard for some of those smaller clubs to race, and this way, we can support these communities, the WRA (Western Racing Association) and just help out bush racing.”Heaney said his club had also planned to give back to their loyal sponsors on Saturday.“We are looking after six of our major sponsors – it won’t cost them anything and we are putting a race in their name,” Heaney said.“They have been significant supporters of ours for a period of time now and it’s a good chance to give them something back.”Racing fans will be able to enjoy a good day on course, with full bar, canteen and bookmaker facilities available. First race will be at 1.30pm.Gate entry will be a donation to the Royal Far West.With thanks to Jeff Hanson and NSW Country & Picnic Racing

By BRYSON LUFFThe Gulgong Terriers put in a tenacious performance to claim the all important two competition points when they hosted the Gilgandra Panthers at Billy Dunn Oval last Saturday in their Christie and Hood Castlereagh League round 16 clash.Not for the first time this year the Panthers got away to a flying start, and again, not for the first time this year, they could not maintain the momentum, but credit must be given to the home side who produced a remarkable comeback after trailing 16 points to nil after 25 minutes.The Terriers spirit was evident as they fought back to go to the sheds at half time trailing by 10 points with the score board reading 20 to 10 in favour of the visitors, which soon became 20 points to 16 in the opening minute of the second stanza and from that point on it was anyone’s game as both sides struggled for ascendency before a converted try to Gulgong’s industrious hooker, Dan Crane edged the home side in front for the first time in the game with 15 minutes remaining.Not long after they were in again and stretched their lead out to 28 to 20 which they dourly defended until the Panthers scored with just seconds remaining to make the full time score after an entertaining game 28 to 24.The win by the Terriers signals that they are well and truly in the premiership race with just two competition rounds remaining.Unicorns vs MagpiesAt Coonabarabran defence was seemingly not high on the agenda of either the Unicorns or the visiting Trangie Magpies agenda with no less than 17 tries being scored, the hosts running in 12 whilst the Maggies scored five themselves, with the final score being 68 to 24.Cobar vs CoonambleCobar cemented its place at the top of the table with an emphatic 58 to 2 win over the Coonamble Bears at Cobar.Next weekThe Bears will complete their 2021 commitments next Saturday when they are at home to Gilgandra before having the bye in the final round.Other games this Saturday will see a Boronia Cup Challenge game played at Dunedoo when the Swans host Baradine with major interest on the day focussing on the top of the table league tag clash between the two clubs with a win by either side going a long way to securing the minor premiership in that grade.The Terriers will be looking to continue their good form when they have another home game, this time against the Trangie Magpies and Cobar will be playing host to Binnaway whilst Coonabarabran will collect the two competition points the easy way by virtue of having the bye.Christie and Hood Castlereagh League Round 16 scores League TagGilgandra 30 (Allira Ashby, Emily Fardell, Tori Canham, Kylie Louie, Crystal Williams, Stevie Smith tries, Shian Chatfield 2, Canham goals) defeated Gulgong 12 (Emily Kirk, Laurissa Hay tries, Mel Robinson 2 goals).Coonabarabran 68 ( Teaghan Barron 3, Madeline Wilson 3, Hannah Meier, Meg Underwood, Molly Sutherland, Kada Hutt, Barron 10 goals) defeated Trangie 0.Cobar 26 (Brennah Aumua 2, Aisha Schofield, Tyler Chiswick, Georgia Boland tries, Brianna Watson 3 goals) defeated Coonamble 18 (Hope Fernando, Tayla Pennell, Emily Ryan tries, Ryan 3 goals)Dunedoo 22(Gemma Mitchell 2, Eva Hogden, Kerrie Ward, Logan McKenna-Maidens tries, Mitchell goal) defeated Binnaway 0Baradine bye Competition tableBaradine 30 (+ 322), Dunedoo 30 (+317), Coonabarabran 22 (+182), Gilgandra 20 (+33), Coonamble 18 (+85), Cobar 18 (+55), Binnaway 10, Gulgong 8, Trangie 4. First GradeGulgong 28 (Dan Crane 2, Mitch McWhirter, Ethan Pegus, Brendan Carter tries, James Morrison 4 goals) defeated Gilgandra 24 (Hayden Smith 3, Luke Ritchie, Cameron Bamblett tries, Brandon Hammond 2 goals).Coonabarabran 68 (Josh Nixon 3, Paul Jones 2, Anthony Harris 2, Dean Lewin, Will Cole, Will Hawker, Tom Varty tries, Jai Cain 10 goals) defeated Trangie 24 (Rob Wakefield, James Darcy, Donald Kennedy, Laine Stevens, Owen Kennedy tries, Alex Sutherland 2 goals)Cobar 58 (Daniel Dean 3, Nathan McAndrew, Tim Hillam, Ben Griffiths, Tristan Everett, Thomas Plater, Jed Noonan, Zane Taylor tries, Plater 5, David Watson 4 goals) defeated Coonamble 2 (Jacob Fernando goal) Competition tableCobar 30 (+442), Dunedoo 28 (+180), Gilgandra 24 (+131) , Gulgong 20 (+ 36), Coonabarabran 20 (+ 25), Baradine 13, Trangie 12, Coonamble 9. Round 17 Saturday August 7Gulgong V Trangie, Dunedoo V Baradine (Boronia Cup Challenge), Cobar V Binnaway, Coonamble V Gilgandra, Coonabarabran bye.