Turf club tips big turnout
20 August, 2015
As the only day on Newman’s racing calendar, there is little doubt that this weekend’s cup meeting will be one of the biggest events in town this year.
The East Pilbara Turf Club is ex- pecting at least 1000 punters to turn out for the BHP Billiton Iron Ore Newman Cup on Saturday.
To kick off the racing action a Cal- cutta will be held at the Newman Ho- tel on Friday evening, while Satur- day’s racing will conclude with a two- up school.
Club secretary Tracey Bennett said entry was $25 or $100 for tent tickets and the number of races would be con- firmed this week, but the club was hoping for a total of eight.
To make things easier for punters, Go West has donated bus services which will run to and from the turf club. Those using the services will be asked for a gold coin donation which will be given to the Royal Flying Doc- tor Service.
The first bus will leave the Purple Pub at 11.30am, stopping at the New- man Club and the Red Sands before finishing at the race track. Buses to the track will continue every half hour until 1.30pm.
In the reverse direction, buses will start leaving the turf club at 5pm, stopping at the Red Sands, Newman Club and Purple Pub — these will run every half hour until 6.30pm.
The meeting will also double as a fundraising opportunity for Saving Animals from Euthanasia Newman, through a partnership between the turf club and Community TAB.
Community TAB will match all funds raised by the turf club, from a food stall and a roving collection tin, to a total of $2000.
Ms Bennett said the partnership was a great way of giving back to the community.
“Our committee felt in choosing SAFE Newman the funds would be helping throughout the Pilbara and the animals which we thought lined up nicely with race day,” she said.
Racing and Wagering WA chair- man Jeff Ovens said the partnerships were an example of the connection be- tween race clubs and the communi- ties in which they operated.
Kelly Bell, North West Telegraph