How Berrigan race club became the Riverina’s most respected
The Berrigan and District Race Club Incorporated began life in the 1890s as the Berrigan Jockey Club. It raced clockwise, the same way as Sydney, until the committee reversed the direction to anti-clockwise, like Melbourne, in the early 1900s.
In 1904, the current layout began to develop and despite a several-year hiatus during wartime and the Great Depression, the club made a serious effort to raise funds to develop a suitable venue in the district for the racing industry.
Fundraising was supported by members growing wheat crops planted in the centre of the course. While there were some bad years, the self-help venture enabled funds to go back into the club. In later years the Polocrosse Club used the centre and later the race club used it for a fundraising cattle project.
The willingness and innovation shown by earlier committees and groups of volunteers lifted the standard at Berrigan, and it gradually became the Riverina’s most respected racecourse.
This has continued over the decades. Today, after numerous hours of volunteer work, the club has established starting stalls, photo-finish equipment, a new grandstand, bar facilities, a dining-room, jockeys’ rooms, stewards and secretary offices. The generous, hard-working people of Berrigan are undoubtedly proud of their race club, which conducts three highly sought-after and well-attended race meetings a year.
On Derby Day recently, the course was an absolute picture, filled with about 4000 people enjoying a fantastic day of country racing. There were loads of activities: Fashions On The Field, continuous music throughout the day, BB’s Catering for sit-down luncheons, finger food and wine and beer enjoyed in marquees with friends. While colourful jockeys mounted on high-spirited horses headed to the mobile starting barriers, punters checked their tickets with the bookies and TAB!
Club secretary Janine Murphy had possibly the biggest job leading up to the big day. However, she loved it.
“I have been around horses all my life and riding since I was eight years old!” she said.
“I have been involved at Berrigan for the past 10 years, firstly as assistant secretary and the past four years as secretary. It is a big job, the Gold Cup is a premium event and horses come from all over northern Victoria, Echuca, Wagga, Narrandera, Bendigo and Kilmore.
“We generally expect around 4000 racegoers, and it would perhaps have been just a little more this year. It was fantastic! We had full catering in the dining-room and marquees, musical entertainment throughout the day and buses to and from Cobram, Barooga, Tocumwal and Yarrawonga bringing people from outside the area.
“It was a big day with a six-race card, which included the 67th Gold Cup. The first was run in 1955.
“We have had amazing sponsorship this year, including CUB and many local businesses have been so generous in their support. Lions Club and RSL members have manned the gates, and we also are seeing younger people coming on to the board, which indicates a bright future!
“The facilities are constantly being upgraded and the track and grounds are regularly maintained by the committee and volunteers!”
The hard-working secretary has earned national recognition with Riding for the Disabled (RDA), winning the National Dressage Championship twice. Janine lost her right arm in a vehicle accident years ago, and yet, this has not deterred her from doing what she loves most: riding and working with her horses.
She is a breeder of New Forest Ponies, a medium-sized English pony that is endangered today as the genetic pool is quite small.
“They range in size up to 14.2 hands and come in all colours, and are renowned as jumpers and ideal for harness,” she said.
“I currently have two mares and a sire, and I am about to begin pre-training Annacleva whom I handle every day.”
Janine is also an accredited APSB judge (Australian Pony Stud Book) judge and a breeder of chocolate Labradors, so she is busy on a daily basis.
Berrigan jockey Bradley Vale is married to trainer Shilleagh MeyerVale and the couple has a professional training facility in the town where they currently train five to six horses.
Bradley is up at 5am each morning, preparing generally to attend a race meeting twice a week at a track less than four hours’ drive away, such as Wagga, Albury or metropolitan Melbourne. On the other days he is doing whatever else is needed, such as track work, exercising horses in the pool, or discussing issues with Shilleagh they may have on the racetrack. She and Bradley are hopeful of taking their horse ‘Shotmaker’ to run in Melbourne in the new year.
“On Gold Cup Day, the track raced perfectly! Berrigan is considered to be one of the favourite country tracks that runs the Victorian way!” Bradley said.
Race 5 on the day was the Gold Cup with the winner ‘Play On Words’, trained by Rod Symons of Bendigo and ridden by Christopher Pang.
For race clubs such as Berrigan, with a farming community that relies solely on help from small businesses and volunteers, its strength stems from the top and club president Geoff Swan and hard-working committee members are dedicated to ensuring their small but vibrant race club continues to advance further into the future.