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Sport

5 September, 2024

Big crowd tipped for Normanton Sprint Races and Rodeo

The competition will be hot on and off the track this Saturday.

By Matt Nicholls

The Normanton Sprint Races are hotly contested each year.
The Normanton Sprint Races are hotly contested each year.

Ashley Gallagher says he’s predicting another big crowd on Saturday for the annual Normanton Sprint Races and Rodeo, with the action to be fierce both on and off the track.

“The racing will be good but I think the most competitive part of the day will be between races three and four when they run the fashions on the field,” he said.

“A lot of people make an effort to win that, I can assure you.”

On the track, nominations were down for this year’s sprint races, but the quality is top notch.

“We’re a bit unlucky because one of the top trainers, Tony Smith, has a crook back so he’s not coming,” Gallagher said.

“And Dennis Mann lost a horse to injury at Sedan Dip so he’s not coming.

“We’ve still got about 18 or 19 horses coming but we’ll go back to the old ways and run three heats and three finals.”

While you can’t bet on the sprint races, the club holds a calcutta on each event, allowing people to buy tickets and bid for the winning horse.

“We’ve slowly over the years made it more professional with barrier starts and a few little things to make it a place trainers want to bring their horses,” Gallagher said.

The feature race on the program will be the 300m Normanton Classic, a race reserved for horses that are five years old or younger.

“The Classic is worth $7500 and it’s probably going to be the best version we’ve put on in the 10 or so years we’ve been running it,” Gallagher said.

“It’s a crying shame that Tony isn’t coming because his horse Fleetwood would have made it an even stronger race.”

Gallagher himself will be represented with the speedy Sullivans Hollywood, to be ridden by his daughter Emmy, while his brother Troy will also turn up with Mr Hanky Panky, who won the Mailman Express in Mount Isa and the Sedan Dip Cup.

Mr Hanky Panky will likely be the favourite, with top rider Jock Connolly making the trip north to ride the sprint star.

Former Normanton resident Paul Stephen will also bring horses, including Fastman’s Manung.

After the sprint races, a rodeo will be held, with the highlight the women’s events, which have about 15 nominations in each category.

“That’s our standout event because not many places do a women’s rodeo,” Gallagher said.

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