January 2015 Carnival Launch

THRC chairman Terry Browne officially launched the Carnival of Cups Golden Guitar Carnival, a trio of meetings starting Wednesday, January 14 with the Pub Group Gold Nugget mee...ting continuing through the twilight Sunday, January 18 Golden Guitar heats meeting and culminating in the Friday, January 23 Pryde’s EasiFeed Golden Guitar Final meeting.

About $150,000 in prizemoney will be distributed over the three days.

“It’s the most prizemoney we’ve had,” Terry Browne told The Leader. “It’s going to be a big carnival for us.

“The Golden Guitar is a Listed Race now too. It’s a wonderful carnival with wonderful major sponsors, who have also been long-term sponsors.

“We also hope to take them both to our new track when it’s built but I’m looking forward to hearing more on that when we have a meeting with Harness Racing NSW later this month.”

Feature event of the carnival is the $25,000 Pryde’s EasiFeed Golden Guitar.

Run Friday, January 23, it will be the main event on a final night also including the $15,000 Burke & Mead Starmaker Final and the $12,000 Garrards Tamworth City Cup.

Gunnedah-based Pryde’s EasiFeed has been sponsoring that race since 2007, Pryde’s NSW sales manager Matt Pryde said.

“In terms of sponsorship it’s given us great traction with lots of trainers all over the state with our racing feeds because of the the interest generated from the Golden Guitar.

“We are looking forward to going to the new track too.”

He said sponsorship was a “two-way” street and said both Pryde’s and the THRC had benefited enormously.

The Golden Guitar Carnival starts with the Pub Group Gold Nugget meeting on Wednesday, January 14 where the $8000 Gold Nugget is the feature race.

The Pub Group has been sponsoring not only that unique race for a number of years, which has a gold nugget as a trophy, but also the Pub Group Drive Of The Night, one of the awards synonymous with the club.

“It’s an award everyone wants to win,” Terry Browne said.

The Pub Group manager, Craig Power, said the long association has been good for both the Tamworth-based hotel chain and the THRC.

“We’ve had a very long relationship with the THRC,” Power said.

“We do have a great relationship with people in racing (gallops) and harness racing.

“It is great to be able to help, especially the THRC.

“We’re also looking forward to the changes with the new track, especially with the Longyard being the closest pub to the new track when it’s built.”