More than 2000 people expected to attend Kununurra Cup

The Kununurra Cup is set to attract up to 2000 racegoers this Saturday with families encouraged to take advantage of the free entry for anyone aged under 17. Kununurra Race Club aims to make this year’s Cup an event for all the family to cheer on racehorses from Darwin, Broome and Perth vying for the $35,000 prize money. KRC secretary Chelsea McNeil said there will be show bags and a kids activity area to keep the young ones entertained so the entire family can enjoy the event. “The Kununurra Cup is a big day for the East Kimberley. We see grandparents to grandkids all coming together to enjoy the races. Our club is entirely volunteer-run, and without the backing of Racing WA and our community, these race meetings just wouldn’t happen.” Besides the Kununurra Cup, there are six other races on the card each offering a $14,500 purse. However the most lively event will be the two-legged one, where punters strip off their Kununurra Cup finery to take part in the jocks race. With a $700 cash prize on offer the 100m sprint down the track usually features a few rolls, trips and dives for the finish line. Ms McNeil said usually the event is exclusively male. “Most of the time women don’t take part because they are not wearing appropriate underwear,” she said. Instead there is a fully-clothed women’s foot race on Ladies Day which was held last Saturday. However, this Kununurra Cup sponsor Ringer Western hopes to entice a few women to go toe to toe on the turf with the men by providing them with full-coverage briefs. “They have sent over briefs for the women to wear we just have to figure out what they can wear on top,” Ms McNeil said. The Cup is held each year on the banks of Lake Kununurra one of the most scenic racecourses in the country and on the only completely turfed racetrack in WA north of Geraldton.