Nanango Race Club’s Leisa Green, at left, and competition organiser Cr Kathy Duff, at right, congratulated Best Dressed Couple fashion winners Sue and Lloyd Back

February 15, 2022

A large crowd packed Lee Park Racecourse on Saturday to enjoy the South Burnett’s first thoroughbred race meeting in more than three months.

Nanango Race Club usually closes off each calendar year with its Christmas race meeting and welcomes the New Year with a Valentines’ meeting in February.

However, heavy rain last December rendered the race track unsafe and forced the club to cancel its final meeting for 2021 just days before it was due to run.

This led to the longer than usual gap between local race meetings.

COVID cut numbers at race tracks last year but if Saturday’s attendances at Nanango are any guide, 2022 should mark a return to much more normal crowd numbers.

Despite Queensland Racing’s mandate that all race track guests now need to be fully vaccinated to come on to a course, a large crowd gathered beside the track and in marquees spread along the concourse to enjoy the mild summer weather.

For many, the meeting presented a rare chance to get outdoors and socialise in relatively safe conditions after several months of living in a “shadow lockdown” as Omicron spread around the State.

Lots of guests dressed in pink or wore a pink accessory to stay true to the meeting’s “In The Pink” fashion theme.

The fashion competitions drew large entries in all five categories: men, women, boys, girls and couples.

Cr Kathy Duff compered the fashions event in front of the grandstand and the winners were selected by judges South Burnett Mayor Brett Otto and Katie and Patrick McCallum, who were both celebrating their 30th birthday at the track.

Out on the track, two of the club’s long-standing annual races – the Malcolm McCallum Memorial and the Nanango RSL-Pedersen Family Memorial – were on the card after being shifted from December’s cancelled meeting.

Both races were hotly contested, with trophies presented to connections by relatives of the McCallum and Pederson families.

Nanango Race Club president Andrew Green said he thought the event went exceptionally well..

“We didn’t know how the vaccination mandate would go but as it turned out we only had to turn away one potential patron at the gates,” he said.

Andrew said he believed most guests at the meeting came from the South Burnett.

While this was different to many meetings which typically draw a lot of visitors from Brisbane and the coast, the club was very grateful to receive such strong local support.

Andrew also said that Queensland Racing have now given the Race Club a replacement date for last December’s cancelled meeting, and it will be on Saturday, June 25.

The club’s next outing will be its Easter Race Meeting on Saturday, April 16.

Des McCallum presented a bridle as a trophy to connection Tom Jackson after ‘The Waiting Man’ took line honours in the Malcolm McCallum Handicap
Nanango RSL Sub-Branch president Charles Kemp and Pedersen family relatives Nick Frohloff and (at far right) Taylor Hermann congratulated Peter and Drew Jackson, centre, after their horse, ‘Mr Noddy’, won Race 2
Now that’s a Cup … Cedric Duff presented an enormous trophy to well-known trainer Patrick Sexton after ‘Ask Audrey’ convincingly won Race 3
The men’s fashion competition drew a big roll-up on Saturday … Burpengary’s Matt Stephensen and Nanango’s Michael and Jimmy Cullinane didn’t win a prize but their bright shirts drew many admiring comments
Fashion competition judges, from left, Katie McCallum, Cr Kathy Duff, Patrick McCallum, Leisa Green and Mayor Brett Otto (right) congratulate women’s fashion winner Rochelle Stark, from Kingaroy, centre … Rochelle’s children Vala, 7, and Hugo, 5, won and were placed in the girl’s and boy’s competitions
A large crowd attended the meeting, and several groups took up the option of setting up their own marquees on the concourse including Fashions judges Katie and Patrick McCallum who celebrated their 30th birthday in this custom marquee (Photo: John Dalton / Nanango Race Club)

* * *

In Race 1, ‘The Waiting Man’ easily eclipsed its nearest rival by a length and three-quarters …
… but things changed sharply in Race 2, with just a short neck separating the first two finishers

Results

Race 1 – Malcolm McCallum Class B Handicap (800m)
1. The Waiting Man (1) – Gemma Steele
2. Timely Reward (8) – Kelly Gates
3. Glam Rock (3)  – Montana Philpot
Time: 0:46.20
Margins: 1 3/4 lengths x 1/2 neck

Race 2 – Nanango RSL/Pedersen Family Memorial QTIS Class 2 Handicap (1000m)
1. Mr Noddy (5) – Hannah Richardson
2. Miss Flawless (6) – Morgan Butler
3. Maha Mustang  (4) – Todd Banks
Time: 0:57.56
Margins: Short neck x 1 1/4 lengths

Race 3 – Nanango Members Cup Open Handicap (1000m)
1. Ask Audrey (3) – Montana Philpot
2. Kellers Shelter (7) – Shannyn Stephan
3. Walshie (6) – Gemma Steele
Time: 0:56.98
Margins: 3 lengths x 1/2 length

Race 4 – Nanango Bookmakers Association Maiden Plate (1200m)
1. Plan Cee (1) –  Jason Missen
2. Informer (4) – Hannah Richardson
3. Alita (9) – Kelly Gates
Time: 1:11.19
Margins: 2 1/2 lengths x 2 1/2 lengths

Race 5 –  Heritage Bank Nanango Benchmark 50 Handicap (1200m)
1. Raku’s Secret (8) – Gemma Steele
2. Run The Cutter (2) – Paul Hamblin
3. Bacio Vincente (3) – Alisha Donald
Time: 1:10.64
Margins: 2 1/4 lengths x 2 lengths

Daylight was second in Race 3 with ‘Ask Audrey’ ahead by three lengths
In the day’s final race, ‘Raku’s Secret’ ran wide to grab line honours easily 

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2 Responses to "Fashion And Fun At Nanango"

  1. Some of these images show people standing within the 1.5 metre mandatory social distancing requirement and not wearing masks. Is there some special exemption for group photos at race meetings?

    Reply

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