Isaiah Woods, sister Shakirah and mum Katrina were enthusiastic adopters of the meeting’s fashion theme of ’70s Flairs and Big Hair’ ; Isiah’s outrageous suits have become a feature of the Burrandowan Picnic Races, too

December 5, 2017

Nanango Race Club’s Christmas Race Meeting went ahead on Sunday despite dire rainfall threats of 25mm to 50mm from the Weather Bureau.

While a small downpour fell across Nanango early in the day which left the race track rated as soft, the meeting stayed dry and pleasant throughout.

Three christmas parties and a 40th birthday were celebrated trackside, and many patrons took to the meeting’s fashion theme of “70s Flairs and Big Hair” with gusto.

Attendance numbers were easily equal to the club’s September meeting, if not slightly higher.

And while there were two or three scratchings in each of the day’s five races, big fields in four of them ensured punters were spoiled for choice.

The Malcolm McCallum Memorial Class B Handicap and the Nanango RSL / Pederson Memorial QTIS Maiden Plate drew a lot of attention, but favourites punters had to wait for the third race of the day of the day for a win.

The Race Club’s canteen did a steady trade in food all day, and the Champagne@TheBit bar was kept busy dispensing ice-cold bubbly, a popular seasonal choice.

Nanango Race Club president Andrew Green said that Sunday’s forecast deluge had kept committee members on edge all week in the lead-up to the event.

And Sunday morning’s downpour in Nanango’s CBD made him expect the worst.

But as things turned out, the meeting ran without either the predicted bad weather or incident, and he was very grateful for the strong support racegoers had shown for it.

The Christmas race meeting is the club’s last race meeting for the calendar year, and also the last for the region.

But Nanango will kick off 2018’s racing season with its annual “Think Pink” Valentines-themed meeting on February 24, and follow it five weeks later with the club’s Easter Race Meeting.

The Three Janes: old friends Jane Hodgkinson (Heritage Nanango Community Fund), Jayne Stevens and Jane Erkens (Nanango Real Estate) had fun catching up at the track
Cr Roz Frohloff, Racing Ambassador Noel Trace and Roz’ sister Robyn Hermann (right) congratulated owner Kay O’Neill on her horse Past Dark’s first start win in the Nanango RSL / Pederson Memorial Maiden Plate; the race is named in honour of Roz and Robyn’s parents Les and Thelma Pederson, and has been run every year since 2006
Dan and Abigail Andersson took a rare day off from their popular Kingaroy fresh food business Andersson’s Fruit Market to relax at the track
Darhnell Barbeler and Lauren Baxter, from Kingaroy, were a picture of summer elegance on the open air grandstand seating
Frank Hodgkinson (Wild Horse FM) congratulated Ann and John Rohl, who accepted the trophy for Race 3 winner Squeemi on behalf of their son Tony, the owner of the popular racehorse
Stella and Jason Wade were kept busy all day dispensing cold bubbly from the Race Club’s Champagne@TheBit bar; as usual, they dressed right up to the meeting’s fashion theme
A greatly relieved Nanango Race Club president Andrew Green and racing ambassador Noel Trace congratulated Race 5’s winning owner Garry Schwenke on the performance of his horse Marlahn, which saw out the day’s last race in unbroken dry weather
Justine Cisneros and her daughter Aleisha relaxed in the shade after the meeting wound down

* * *

Barely half a length separated winner Karma Force and runner-up Good Gracious Mae as they streaked past the winning post in the first race of the day
Past Dark had an easier task in Race 2, defeating Red Wedding by a length

Results

Race 1 – Malcolm McCallum Memorial Class B Handicap (800m)
1. Karma Force (3) – Nathan Evans
2. Good Gracious Mae (5) – Hannah English
3. Coalbank Caviar (6) – Hannah Phillips
Time: 0:46.19
Margins: 1/2 Length x 1 Length

Race 2 – Nanango RSL / Pedersen Memorial QTIS Maiden Plate (1000m)
1. Past Dark (9) – Taylor Williams
2. Red Wedding (2) – Shannon Apthorpe
3. First Bid (1) – Hannah English
Time: 0:59.15
Margins: 1 Length x 1/2 Length

Race 3 – Wild Horse FM Yarraman BenchMark 65 Handicap (1000m)
1. Squeemi (7) – Gary Geran
2. Captain Tango (5) – Jason Hoopert
3. Heza Chumley (3) – Skye Bogenhuber
Time: 0:58.15
Margins: 2 1/4 Lengths x Short nose

Race 4 – Heritage Bank Nanango Ratings Brand 0 – 55 Handicap (1200m)
1. Man Overboard (4) – Billie-Rose Derbyshire
2. Craiglea Ceon (12) – Kelly Gates
3. Little Albert (7) – Sky Bogenhuber
Time: 1:11.50
Margins: 2 1/4 lengths x 1/2 length

Race 5 – John Dundas Automotive BenchMark 50 Handicap (1600m)
1. Marlahn (9) – Hannah English
2. Nights Ablaze (1) – Pietro Romeo
3. All Apples (3) – Gary Geran
Time: 1:36.26
Margins: 1 1/2 Lengths x 3/4 Length

Daylight was second in the third race as favourite Squeemi rocketed past the post a full two-and-a-half lengths ahead of its next nearest rival
Storm clouds were ominously darkening the sky as Marlahn defeated Nights Ablaze in the day’s final race, but they failed to carry out their threat until much later

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