Female duo win the Birdsville Cup 2016

On a picture perfect sunny day, history was made in Birdsville today, with the remote outback track hosting Australia’s biggest thoroughbred race day this year – and and a female duo of jockey and trainer taking out the main Birdsville Cup race for the first time in 134 years.

The longest running horse race in Australia, known to many as ‘The Melbourne Cup of the Outback’ – welcomed thousands of revelers for a condensed Super Sunday program, which combined 11 highlight races from the originally scheduled Friday andSaturday competitions (that were a combined total of 13 races).

The 11-race program made for Australia’s biggest single thoroughbred race day in 2016, outstripping Melbourne Cup day.

A stellar 10-horse field contested the prestigious S35,000 (1600m) Birdsville Cup, with Darwin-based jockey Kayla Cross storming to victory on the Heather Lehmann-trained More Alpha.

After the race Heather said, “This horse was a bit trying earlier on. I was keen to sell it but it’s my husband’s favourite, so we kept him and I persevered, he’s come good and it’s a great Father’s Day present.”

The revised program followed 55mm of rainfall in Birdsville in the days preceding the race meet, which equated to more than a third of the town’s yearly rainfall average. The deluge turned Birdsville’s iconic red racetrack to sludge and forced the closure of all roads to and from the township.

“We worked on the track until late last night. It was a case of the outback spirit coming through – we were determined that the rain wouldn’t beat us and we’d host the races today,” said Gary Brook, Vice President, Birdsville Race Club.

“It’s been a roller coaster of emotions this week – and when we arrived trackside this morning, I felt quite emotional. It’s been an awesome two days and I’d like to thank everyone who put in such a massive effort to get us to where we are,” added Gary Brook.

Event organisers hosted an impromptu phantom race day on the Saturday to entertain thousands of punters who had made it into Birdsville ahead of the downpours.

As in previous years, Fashion on the Fields was a highlight of the Saturday program, with a classic, contemporary and novelty divisions judged by Today Show’s Natalia Cooper.

Entertainment and food also remained key drawcards, with luxury outback dining, film screenings, live music and Fred Brophy’s infamous Boxing troupe all keeping crowds bustling with excitement over the extended program in the township of Birdsville.

This year’s Races were also preceded by the RFDS Fun Run, which saw more than 100 competitors race a 6.1 km dirt track to raise more than $4,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service – an organisation vital to the remote region.

“This year has certainly been a memorable one for the Birdsville Races. We’ve experienced some challenges due to the weather, but we’ve also had a lot of positives, with the weather bringing much-needed relief for farmers in and around this region,“ added Gary Brook.

“Despite a few stops and starts, we’ve had a very successful race meet. And the size of this Super Sunday of racing gives us a lot to be happy about.”