South Australia’s Kapunda Harness Racing Club will celebrate 70 years of racing at its final meeting of the season on Monday, April 24.
Highlights of the day will be the $10,000 Ubet Kapunda Pacing Cup (2610m) and the $10,000 Mantina Quarries / Prince Of Wales Kapunda Trotters Cup (2610m).
Both are standing start events.
The UBET Pacers Cup is a C6 or better discretionary while the Trotters Cup is a T2 or better discretionary.
Club Secretary Rod Whenan said the club was delighted to be able to have good stakemoney for both cups.
“We are hoping for excellent fields for both races and maybe the stakemoney might also appeal to interstate trainers,” Whenan said.
The Peter Borrelli-trained and driven My Elusive Dream won last year’s cup in a thrilling photo-finish from My Man Dan.
Trainer Rob Caruso said the 2017 Kapunda Cup was the next target for My Man Dan after the gelding’s win at Globe Derby Park on Saturday.
“He went under in a photo last year after not having much luck, so we will go back this year to go one better,” Caruso said.
The Trotters Cup went to Joekenn, trained and driven by David Smith.
A three-year-old trotters’ mobile has also been programmed this year.
Whenan said the race should appeal to horses preparing for the South Australian Trotters Derby to be run at Globe Derby Park on Saturday, May 6.
The Kapunda Committee was formed in 1945 after 18 months of clearing scrub land and in filling a creek which ran through the property with the first race day held on March 11, 1947.
A total of 105 horses competed at the meeting, the majority arriving and departing by train.
Some horses came from interstate and the train stopped at sidings on the way from Adelaide to collect horses on the way to Kapunda.
Eight races were conducted with 385 pounds total prizemoney.
There were 24 registered bookmakers and the first race was won by Prefix trained by Mr J C Edwards, driven by the legendary Bill Shinn, owned by Mrs E D Bush.
The largest fields of the meeting had 20 horses and the smallest 11.
Club president Tom Hansberry drove a double.
A copy of the first race book is displayed in the clubrooms.
Three meetings were held in 1947, and increased to 22-per year in the popular 1950s to the 1990s, mostly under lights on Tuesday nights which were installed in the mid-50s.
Major events had stakes of $20,000 and crowds of up to 3000 attended.
The Kapunda Harness Racing Club now races in the daylight hours, and currently has four meetings per season.
