Sport

A farmer from New Zealand has won Australia’s most famous endurance ride, the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, completing the 160km course in the third fastest time in the event’s history. Ashley Cole, riding the nine-year-old Arabian stallion Tonki Dee Boo Novak, crossed the finish line at Stirling's Crossing, Imbil, Queensland, at the eight hour, 44 minute-mark, just a minute ahead of Catherine Bailey and Razorback Targaryen in second place.

After finishing sixth in the inaugural running of the event last year, talented white and blue dog Vamoose returned to the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club a stronger and more experienced performer in 2023, unleashing a brilliant turn of foot to record a powerful victory in the $75000 Thunderbolt, the richest race in the world over 350m, on June 24 ... Speaking from her Branxton home in the Hunter Valley, winning trainer Susan Smith, who also bred, and races Vamoose, said his triumph in the Thunderbolt was her biggest win after being in the sport for 50 years.

Patrick Goldsmith. Point Turton’s Hugo Taheny has brought home an impressive medal haul after representing Australia at the 2023 Virtus Global Games in Vichy, France. The first time he has competed overseas, Taheny claimed a gold medal in shot-put and broke his own world record twice, finishing with 11.98 metres.

Mildura Rural City Councillor for Recreation and Events Mark Eckel has highlighted the success of the Penrite Hattah Desert Race as the iconic event prepares to mark its 25th anniversary this weekend ... Cr Eckel said the event was now one of the most popular and sought-after off-road events in the country, evidenced by the fact the more than 800 available race entries are now snapped up in just seconds once they open.

Emma Perrier’s aunt in Brisbane died from breast cancer four years ago, spurring Emma to create a sporting event to raise money for breast cancer awareness. On Sunday, June 25 at Main Beach in Evans Head, Emma was surrounded by a sea of pink at the Breast Comp Ever, a female surf competition.

Barossa Mayor Bim Lange is thrilled about the return of the 2024 Santos Tour Down Under, saying the Barossa will welcome not one Stage, but two ... “This is another great opportunity to put the Barossa on the world stage, and we couldn’t be happier Race Director Stuart O’Grady has yet again recognised our capacity for hosting this major international event”: Barossa Mayor Bim Lange.

The Bidgee Big Bash Jackpot was held for the second time recently, running at the Narrandera Rodeo Grounds. The event is run by the Team Roping Association and attracted competitors from all over NSW as well as South Australia and Victoria.

When we wrote about how crosses with the magnificent heavy horse breed the Clydesdale were the quiet achievers in the horse world last week, we were very quickly shown just how popular and much loved they are.

The last of the foal shows are done for the year, the royal show horses have a few more weeks rest before the earnest work begins and it’s the quietest time of the year for most horse people. It’s an opportunity to catch up on some reading by the fire while the wind blows cold, or while seated on a 12-hour plane flight – do we revisit some old favorites or go and find something new to read?

Hundreds of mountain biking enthusiasts and their families gathered in Rockhampton for the recent Rocky Trail Academy Schools Competition and the Fox Superflow® Gravity Enduro race, two of the fastest growing mountain bike racing formats held in Rockhampton during winter ... “Mountain biking tourism is considered one of the fastest growing recreational activities globally, with AusCycle reporting a $136.9 million direct economic impact to Australia, per annum": Parks, Sport and Public Spaces Councillor Cherie Rutherford.

HM Woodhouse-Herrick. Former Nhill resident Tim Rath was heard recently on Matt Tribe’s Saturday morning show on ABC Radio. Tim was on to talk about his book: The Footy Jumper Book, which traces the history of the humble guernsey from the hessian sack days of Moonta FC in regional SA back in 1876 through to Neil Craig’s remarkable one-piece lycra invention for Norwood in 1994.

The Clydesdale horse is so often referred to in Australia as the “horse that built a nation” and it’s true. Australians have a great affection for the great horses of Scotland and the breed has graced the paddocks and show rings of Australia for more than 100 years ... They have crossed very well with other breeds and are very much the quiet achievers in the sport world.

Australian dressage riders Andrew Driffield, Sarah Sherwood and Sui Watts have won the team gold medal at the Virtus Global Games in Vichy, France. They followed their victory up the next day with two more gold medals and a silver in the individual competitions.

With some key members missing due to the Senior Championship and others being away, Donald knew that it was going have to work hard against Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers, as they had been playing so well. And work well they did.

As a committed mountain and trail runner, Maldon resident Matthew Crehan has been part of an elite Australian team competing in the 2023 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Innsbruck ... Matthew has only been running for about eight years ... "Last year I was named Australian Ultra Runner of the year and was absolutely stoked”: Matthew Crehan.

Serena Kirby. Denmark Senior High School will be the first school in the Great Southern to enter a team in this year’s Australian Human Powered Vehicle Super Series. This nationwide series of races, also known as the Pedal Prix, comprises six rounds of races with five held in South Australia and one in Busselton.

Narrandera Netball Association has just wrapped up their representative season. This season Narrandera had four teams plus a team of training partners. The four teams competed in several carnivals across NSW with mixed success, but always coming away with more experience.

Now in its 11th year, the Scenic Rim Clydesdale Spectacular happens over the weekend of June 17 and 18 at Boonah. It is the richest Clydesdale Show in the Southern Hemisphere, where the grand champions of the breed are judged, the heritage of the breed is shared, and the history of the breed in Australia is toasted.

Communities across the region including about 1000 school children came together at Yamba’s Ngayundi Sports Complex last Thursday where they got to meet four South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL players as part of the 2023 Clarence Valley Close the Gap Day. Mudyala Aboriginal Corporation CEO Aneika Kapeen said the 2023 Clarence Valley Close the Gap Day was about bringing all the schools together to really recognise what Close the Gap means.

Relationships, social support, physical fitness and a sense of belonging are key elements for positive mental health, and being part of a sporting community like the Birchip-Watchem Football, Netball and Hockey Club ticks all these boxes ... Following the headspace round, the National Centre for Farmer Mental Health also jumped on board and provided funding from its flood recovery program "Building Farm Spirit" ...

In recent weeks headspace Swan Hill has actively partnered with twenty-four local sporting clubs to deliver important mental health messages and strategies in three leagues across the North Central and Mallee communities.