Events in competition for holiday crowds

Nic Corbin, of Christchurch, completes his sawing in a single saw event, assisted by his father Wayne Corbin, of Riverton. Photos: Dave Loudon

A New Year’s Day showdown has emerged in Western Southland as thoroughbred horse racing faced off against woodchopping and athletics.

A race meeting held by the Riverton Racing Club and the century-old Tuatapere Sports Day were competing for patrons on January 1 and it appears the sport of kings won out.

Tuatapere sports day commentator Peter Templeton said "the show will go on" but believed the Riverton races had "upset the apple cart" because the meeting now fell on the same day.

"We’ve been going 115 years and all of a sudden the racing commission [New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing] wanted it at Riverton on New Year’s Day," Mr Templeton said.

He understood the decision was made by the national body and not the Riverton club.

But Riverton Racing Club president Trevor Brown said while the calendar was set at a national level and was now "locked in", the club wanted the lucrative January 1 date in a bid to ensure its own survival.

"They [Tuatapere] weren’t too happy when they first found out we had it, but we get told what race days [we have] and when they’re going to be.

Ali Peterson, 10, of Riverton, jumps to a win in a sack race held during the New Year’s Day sports day.

"So there’s nothing the club can do about it."

"We’ve been pushing to try and get that day and keep it.

"We don’t want to change that New Year’s Day because of the fact that it is so successful for us."

Multiple food vendors had been redirected to the Tuatapere event as the Riverton venue was not able to host all that had applied, he said.

"They want to go to Riverton because they know they’re going to have a good day financially."

Moving from January 1 now would be detrimental to the club.

The club had been pushing to lift its stake money to the levels of a feature day but it needed a turnover of more than $2 million first.

Brady De Vries, 7, of Invercargill, wins a 7-year-old boys’ race.

It managed that on Wednesday.

"We actually had over $2m for the first time on New Year’s Day."

Mr Templeton did not harbour any ill-feeling towards the club.

"We’re not against Riverton.

"They’ve got to take it while they can ... it’s just one of those things that have happened.

"Racing is their thing, mine’s woodchopping and athletics."

"We just like to carry on and do our own thing ... [we] wish them all the best and hope all [our] kids keep turning up and having their sack racing and egg on the spoon."

Based on entry fees, he believed the annual event’s crowd numbers had dwindled to about 600 adults this year.