The weekend of May 22 and 23 promises to be one of the biggest two days of sporting action seen in the Dubbo region for some time.
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It's been confirmed an extra race meeting has been added to the Dubbo Turf Club calendar to further enhance the excitement around the weekend which will be headlined by the NRL match between South Sydney and Penrith at Apex Oval.
The South Sydney-themed race meeting will be run on the Saturday afternoon and a bumper greyhounds meet will be that night before all eyes turn to the blockbuster NRL match on Sunday afternoon.
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The extra meeting is another boost for the Dubbo Turf Club committee, which has been striving for bigger events and more community involvement in recent years.
"It's a great opportunity for the club," acting general manager Gavin Barlow said on Friday.
"Just the exposure we'll get from that is massive. Seven or eight races on a Saturday really helps us and the racing strength of this club is really high trajectory at the moment and I'm really proud of it."
A flood of red and green is expected to be trackside for the meeting, with the entire meeting set to heavily feature the Rabbitohs after they announced last year they would be playing one home game in Dubbo in 2021 and 2022.
Barlow said the NRL club has been a "great partner" throughout planning for the May 22 meeting, and plenty of former players and Rabbitohs personalities are expected to be trackside come race day.
The races will also feature Souths-themed names while there's going to be plenty of giveaways and entertainment on the day.
"There will also be Fashions on the Field for the best dressed Souths supporter," Barlow added.
"We really see it as a chance to showcase what the club is all about to a wider audience."
The meeting is also welcome news for trainers, jockeys, and owners in the local region as they now have an extra chance to race this season.
A bumper crowd is expected, with roughly 1000 tickets already sold and 400 of those have been taken up as part of the special offer where everyone who bought a ticket to the NRL match also got entry to Saturday's race day.
"We'e excited to be part of a big weekend for Dubbo," Barlow added.
Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders is also the chance of the NRL Regional Taskforce and he stated getting games in the bush was one thing, but making sure it was a real event and benefit for the host venues was as equally important.
"The idea is to make this not just stand alone rugby league games but packages for communities for the entire weekend," he said.
"Racing and rugby league fits so well together and it means you can have races on the opposite day to the NRL and attract a great day.
"We saw Mudgee last weekend estimating about a $1.5 million injection into the town just from all the people who were there and I would expect at least that for Dubbo and maybe a bit more."
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
