Off and running for big weekend of festivities at Quilpie

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Renew leaves the field behind1:25

Horse Racing: The Darren Weir-trained Renew took centre stage at Warrnambool when he blew away his rivals in the $125,000 Galleywood Hurdle. Renew vindicated his firm favouritism race with an impressive staying and jumping performance in the 3200m race.

• May 3rd 2017
• 21 hours ago
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Welcome to Quilpie. Photo: Phil Hawkes

A HUGE crowd is expected to converge at the Quilpie Diggers’ Race Club’s Bulloo Park on Saturday as part of the town’s Quilpie Centenary Cup celebrations.

The Queensland town, located 1000km west of Brisbane with a population of just over 600, is celebrating its 100th anniversary and the Quilpie Diggers’ Race Club has put together a six-race card with $65,000 prizemoney on offer.

The feature is the $12,500 Mack Trucks Quilpie Cup (1350m), which headlines a full weekend of festivities.

On Saturday the club will open its new Bulloo Park complex, a $1.5 million project which came about after the town allocated money from last year’s drought assistance fund.

“As the home of red corner racing, the Quilpie Cup always attracts a keen and diverse crowd and we’re expecting a mob of enthusiastic revellers,” organising committee president Brian Donovan said. “We welcome visitors from far and wide and are providing free camping at the race track, with access to facilities.

“The Quilpie Diggers Race Club committee has been working to continue to grow the event into a major race meet, __like an outback Roma races or even an outback Melbourne Cup.”

Quilpie is gearing up for a big weekend of racing. Picture: Phil HawkesSource:Supplied

Cup festivities kick off tomorrow night with the inaugural Cup Calcutta at the Quilpie Club, then the President’s Drinks function before the start of raceday.

Special guests over the weekend include satirists Errol Parker (editor) and Clancy Overell (editor-at-large) of popular online publication The Betoota Advocate.

The pair will be part of a Q&A session at the President’s Drinks with local Federal Member David Littleproud, which will precede Saturday’s meeting.

There’s also a $5000 prize for Fashions on the Field.

Quilpie has races just once a year and club representative Lyn Barnes said they hope to be hosting the town’s entire 600-plus population on Saturday.

The Quilpie Cup honours the memory of brothers Bill and KJ Costello, legends of Queensland outback racing. Each May their families gather at Bulloo Park to remember them both with the running of the Memorial Plate.

Bill, who died in 1999, rode his first winner at Betoota, aged 12, in 1924 and went on to win the Windorah Cup 10 times. Five of those wins were on Spirit, who was prepared by his brother KJ. KJ Costello trained countless country cups winners and was also instrumental in having the track moved to its current location.

Locals will take on a visiting Warehouse cricket team from the city on Sunday.

Originally published as Off and running for a big weekend at Quilpie