By Michael Guerin
There is nowhere Nicky Chilcott would rather be than the West Coast this weekend.
Because while there is a premier meeting at Alexandra Park on Friday night, Chilcott says the two Team Teal Lady Drivers Challenge races starting at Westport on Friday mean more to her.
And for a very personal reason.
Chilcott is one of the three ambassadors who have helped fly the teal flag during the Teal Pants campaign, which has been running in harness racing since February 1 and raise funds for the fight against Ovarian cancer.
With $400 being donated every time a female drivers wearing the teal pants wins a New Zealand race, $24,000 has already been raised with a goal of $30,000 by Sunday’s end of the campaign.
The fundraising has been widely embraced by the harness racing industry but finishes with a high this weekend with female-drivers only races in which all drivers will wear the teal pants at both Westport and Reefton.
And Chilcott wouldn’t miss it for the world.
“My mother (Lyn) is a cervical cancer survivor so it is a subject very close to my heart,” says Chilcott.
“So I am proud to go down there and drive alongside all the other women.
“I’ll be honest, we are a bit short of staff at the moment and it is a tricky time to be away but this is more important than that. I wish I could have done more to help.” Then with her trademark cheeky chuckle Chilcott admits to a small bonus to her West Coast trip.
“I think I have driven at most of the tracks around the country but never Westport or Reefton so that will be a great experience.
“That and all the people you meet. I find that any time you travel you meet new people make new contacts.
“So to do all that, with the other female drivers and for such a great cause it is going to be a special weekend.”
The Westport club will double the usual club donation of $100 per Teal pants win at their meeting to $200 and every race will have a punters club draw where the winner gets two $50 bets, one for themselves and one for the campaign.
Reefton will end the campaign with a blaze of teal on Sunday with any patron who wears teal going into the draw to win $1500 worth of prizes.
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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