Gull backs famous Karekare Beach Race

Last calls for entries as Gull backs famous Karekare Beach Race

Prize money upped to draw horses to community-run race

It’s meant to be fun, but some riders won’t be paying for petrol come February 28’s Karekare beach race.

“The prize purse has risen this year,” says local rider Caroline Grove, “and there’ll be up to $510 prize purse covering the longer-distance events.”

Most people race their horses here because it’s fun,” she says. “They know it’s a community fund-raiser and not the Melbourne cup, but there’d be no race without the horses, and we’ve arranged for owners to camp overnight if they’d like, plus of course the podium winners will have a bit more in the bank after the event!”

A new team of race organisers has been able to boost prize coffers thanks to the support of generous sponsors – with Gull New Zealand back on board again this year.

General manager David Bodger says, “As a company that prides itself on treading its own path rather than following the patterns set by the big internationals, Gull likes to get in step with the small communities it serves.”

But there’s more to it than that, as Mr Bodger was himself a ‘clubbie’ working the surf at Taylor's Mistake, Christchurch, and Paekakariki, and he’s now a father, so he doubly appreciates the need for companies to get behind events such as the Karekare Beach Races, which support the country school and the Karekare Surf Club.

The famous event nearly ended 18 months ago as the tiny community was overstretched keeping up with maintenance of the school, managing the volunteer fire party and doing its best to help the hard-working surf lifesavers.

But the Karekare Club is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, and that lent impetus to re-launching the event under a largely new team of locals, with former helmswoman Caroline Grove now concentrating on the area she loves most, the horses.

With just three weeks to go she’s making a last ring-around of horse and pony clubs to let them know time is running out for them to enter.

“We do take late entries, but of course they won’t get in the programme, and Aucklanders coming in for the race like to match names to numbers as they clutch their $2 sweepstake tickets,” she said. “We’re hoping the increased prize money will encourage more riders this year – as that makes it more exciting not just for spectators but for the riders, too.”

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