NORTHERN New England’s Deepwater Jockey Club has celebrated 150 years of racing with more than 4000 people turning out for the popular annual event.
This year’s cup winner was the top weight and favourite Carry Me Gee Gee, which beat the fancied five year gelding Amajill in a thriller on the line.
Deepwater secretary Patricia Stark said 2017 was actually the club’s 151st year.
“When we checked the records we realised the first race meeting was in 1866,” Ms Stark said. “Technically it’s the 151st year, but that didn’t stop us celebrating such a major milestone.”
The jockey club was started in 1866 when racing enthusiast and then owner of Deepwater Station allowed the entrepreneurial publican at the Deepwater Inn to stage a race meeting on the corner of the property. The land was subsequently bought by the Deepwater Jockey Club in 1927, and been the home of the race club ever since.