NZ HARNESS NEWS
Organisers of New Zealand harness racing’s inaugural Team Teal Campaign are hailing it as a huge success following its completion on Sunday with the funds raised expected to reach close to $20,000.
After six weeks of action across the country – during which female drivers adorned themselves in teal-coloured driving pants – $15,600 was raised from 39 individual wins.
The campaign wrapped up at Reefton yesterday and the local club, racegoers and industry participants alike went ‘full teal’ to get behind the promotion.
“It was awesome to see such great support on the final day of the campaign,” Harness Racing New Zealand’s Marketing and Communication executive, Courtney Clarke, said.
“The whole campaign has been beyond our expectations.
“We were all about raising awareness in the first year, but the efforts of everyone has seen things get bigger and bigger as it’s gone on.”
Final figures are still to be counted by Harness Racing New Zealand, but the combined donations for each winner ($200 from HRNZ, $100 from Woodlands Stud and $100 from the club where each race was won) sets a good platform which should see the final figure reach get close to, if not surpass, the $20,000 mark.
“We hope to be able to announce the final tally later this week,” said Clarke.
“We still have some donations which are to be confirmed from various individuals, but I think we can safely say it has been a success.”
Clarke said that the initial man behind the Team Teal Campaign when it first launched in Australia, Duncan McPherson, had been amazed with how things had gone in New Zealand and was already planning on being back in 2019.
“Duncan came across for the Hororata meeting at Methven right at the start of things and was really impressed.
“He’s already got plans in place for coming back to the same meeting next year and doing more I think.”
Not surprisingly, the most successful female driver throughout the campaign was South Island ambassador Sam Ottley, who added four wins to her tally over the weekend to finish with 10 winners for the duration.
Other wins came courtesy of Nicky Chilcott (4), Natalie Rasmussen (4), Sheryl Wigg and Ellie Barron (3), Sheree Tomlinson, Michelle Wallis, Kim Butt and Michelle Neilson (2) and Jess Young, Stacey Whaturia, Olivia Thornley, Charlotte Purvis, Arna Donnelly, Katie Cox and Lyn Neal (1 win).
- NZ Harness News
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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