PICNIC RACESEast Coast Racing

thefalcon

i happened to flick over to ch78 the other night. it was a segment on the picnics and how popular they are in victoria. the interview included a female rider, i think she was a Weymouth, been riding at the picnics since the 70's!!

my question is....what qualifies a horse to race at the picnics?  they obviously are t/breds.

talk about popular..there are 2 today (sat.8/1) at healsville and mansfield....i'll bet they have greyhounds at h/ville tonight.

any info please.

Piston_Broke

any horse can race at Picnics so long as they have a race for them

savethegame

W.A. maybe hack races? But Ex racehorses could compete provided they had  not started in a registered race for a period of two years. prior was the rule once. 

Because do remmeber  Ora Banda races around the football oval.----Girl rocked  up with horse called Baron's castle---whose first win it actual had beat multiple  group winner Hareeba in vic..---his name on the bookies board was Willie ----the humour was the punters yelling out  this has beaten Hareeba. Of cause it bolted in

Kulin bush races don't allow spurs or whips . 

thefalcon

thanks ^

Yilgarna

In WA, I think our equivalent to Victorian picnics would be Kojonup- horses have to be currently registered, trainers registered with RWWA, and riders approved to compete by RWWA. Horses are handicapped for their races. RWWA stewards run the meeting.  

Our next level down are bush races, such as Kulin and Quinndaning, and previously locations like Bulgin Rock and Ora Banda. As STG stated, the horses, should they have had a career, whether thoroughbreds or standardbreds, have to have been retired for a certain period of time. None of the participants have a licence with RWWA, although RWWA have oversight of the meetings and send an observer to help the clubs run the racing side of things.  No whips or spurs allowed, it's catch weights, walk-up starts, and no swabs are some of the conditions.  Horses that have previously bled in their racing careers are ineligible. 

bookielover

Falc's question pretty well answered already.

I went to Balnarring Picnics years ago, it was a great day out. If memory serves me correctly, I only had a few bets on the locals, concentrating on Melbourne and Sydney. I actually backed Battle Heights to win the Sydney Cup with a bookie who was working on the Sydney races, at 25/1, which made for one of my few good days on the punt.

Today, the Picnic races are the best attended with up to 5,000 going. That's the limit they allow into the tracks because they can't cope with any more. They are non-Tab meetings and only on course bookies operate at them.

At Woolamai this Saturday, 15th, there will be 13 bookies  operating on track. 

At Balnarring on Australia day, the 26th, there will be 14 bookies operating, that number is the  maximum allowable.

According to a mate of mine who goes on a regular basis, you can get set for decent money at the meetings, although it's fair to say the percentages are in the bookies favour. According to a bookie mate of mine who bets at them, from a bookies point of view, it's the best license in the Country. No Corps, no Tab, no Betfair, no wonder!

The bookies there bet on all the other meetings around the Country as well. 

If any of you can get to go to one, do so. It's a great day out.