THEY'RE on again next weekend and this year the Normanton Sprint Races will be part of an action packed weekend designed to include almost all outback sporting interests.
The sprint races themselves to be held on Sunday October 5th will attract a $20,000 prize purse and will include a Fashion on the Field competition. The meeting will consist of nine races with a Calcutta held on each race. In previous years the Final race, the Cloncurry Mustering Normanton Cup, the Calcutta purse has exceeded $12,000. This race also attracts prize money of $7000.
This sprint form of horse racing is taking off in Queensland to the extent that a Sunshine Coast business man Allan Murnane who is rumoured to have backing from Quarter Horse associations in the USA, has formed a new Australian Quarter Horse Racing body that intends to build a quarter horse race venue in the Mary Valley outside of Gympie.
Officials from this new organisation will be at Normanton over the carnival to see "just how it's done" in Normanton. The Sedan Dip and Burketown race clubs have also left the fold of Racing Queensland and converted to sprint racing.
But the fun begins way before Sunday afternoon's racing with the Pony Club horse sports on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning with the highlight of a $3000 Ladies Barrel Race on Saturday night.
Saturday night will also see the staging of the Gulf Championship Bull and Bronc Rides.
The weekend is a long weekend and with so much action at Normanton, the holiday Monday will be needed to recover.
