HORSES may be the poster animals for racing in the bush, but increasingly races involving a menagerie of rather less aerodynamic animals are fascinating country crowds.
From cockroaches to camels, all manner of “livestock” are being urged “down the straight” by noisy, happy crowds, often in the name of charity fundraising.
When equine influenza (EI) forced horses out of action in 2007, racing clubs put on their thinking caps and came up with novelty events from lawnmower races to wheelie bins.
Moree race committee upped the ante, including events such as wheelie-bin races and push and ride-on lawnmower races in place of the horses at their Melbourne Cup Day meeting that year.
The blades were taken off the lawn mowers and everybody got involved.
Moree race club president, Rob Mather, said everybody enjoyed themselves and all members of the family took part in the events.
Moree Plains mayor, Katrina Humphries, said it was indicative of country people’s ability to adapt and when the chips were down they were still able to find ways to have a good time.
“Many of the new patrons that came to the novelty races for the first time during EI have stayed on and the result has been a keen set of younger patrons coming to the races,” she said.
Such novelty events have helped the local economy keep ticking over and allowed people, such as bar staff and groundsmen for example, to continue to make a living.
Quandialla publican, Daniel Marshall, said you could not beat getting like-minded people from the city and the country together at a light-hearted bush social event.
“If you have not experienced one of these novelty race days then you have not lived,” he said.
And he’s in a position to know, after working in watering holes across the bush, including the iconic Birdsville pub in western Queensland and having seen the odd race or two in that time.
Novelty racing, he said, was a great family event and tended to be uniquely Australian.
“Seeing goats race with carts strapped to them is hilarious, not something you see every day,” he said.
Daniel said many city people liked to harken back to family links with the country, and the novelty races were something that helped them do this.
“You go to these events and you feel part of the community,” he said.
Brad Mort, of Millfield, near Cessnock, a Bylong Mouse Races regular, said he liked such events “because every dollar you spend helps charities”.
Communities had to put in a lot of effort to put on a successful novelty race day “and you get a lot of satisfaction out of helping out at events like the mouse races”.
Apart from locals, visitors were prepared to travel long distances to see mice, guinea pigs, camels, yabbies, cane toads, cockroaches, sheep and goats in full flight.
Brad and Daniel both agreed the Australian tradition to bet on anything from the Melbourne Cup to two flies crawling up an outhouse wall added to the enjoyment.
“Australians love a punt; it wasn’t so long ago there was a bookie in the corner of every pub,” Brad said.
So novelty races are “in” as a family day out.
And why not? All you need to bring along are a few dollars and a dry-as-dust sense of humour.
The Land December 31 issue profiles a series of quirky country racing options from guinea pigs to sheep.
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