The Louth Races was to be held on the weekend of August 7, but the committee made the call early to put the event on hold.

"We are very disappointed, but logistically we just had to make the call," Louth Turf Club President Jim Stachan said. "The health and wellbeing of our racegoers as well as our local community is the most important thing."

Louth Races attracts between 5000 - 6000 people each year, which would bring a huge economic boost by anyone's standards, but especially for a village of 43 (according to the last census).

"It's a huge meeting, some of the caravans and other visitors are generally here 7-8 days before the race meet, and they'd be here two to three days afterwards," Mr Strachan said. "It's a huge boost for the local economy - it's a huge boost for our school fete, our local golf club also makes a lot of money, we have a damper competition, a fishing competition - the river's really healthy at the moment, the fish are biting."

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Located just over 130km northwest of Cobar, on the Darling River, the Louth race meet is also a significant fundraiser for the beloved outback service, the Royal Flying Doctors.

"As well as being a big money maker for local businesses, it's a big fundraiser and the biggest amount of funds raised goes to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, they are so important out here and we're really disappointed for them."

Many of the racegoers traditionally come from interstate, and with border closures and uncertainty around when restrictions will ease, this year's cancellation was a no-brainer.

"We just couldn't risk it. There's a group of about 20 to 30 caravans that come up from South Australia every year - and that's just one group, and they had to pull out.

"It's gonna hit us pretty hard financially but we're pretty strong. There's a lot of businesses out there that are a lot worse off and I just feel bad for them."

Tickets are fully refundable, or you can choose to donate the cost of your ticket to help the club recoup some of its costs. That option is on the 123 Tix website.

A lot of work goes into the Louth Races, it's no coincidence it's renowned as one of the most iconic track meets - the organisers and the locals in general have worked hard to cement their reputation.

"It's a year-round job but the last 3-4 months is pretty intense with things like track preparation and organising catering. A lot of our committee members don't live locally and the health and wellbeing of our community and racegoers are our top priority.

"We'll be back next year bigger and better."

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