With thrills, spills and a streaker in a high-vis top, the 2017 Glenorchy Races delivered entertainment galore.
More than 2500 people flocked to the town at the head of Lake Wakatipu on Saturday for the 55th annual event, which, for the first time, required resource consent from the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Commentators Craig Ferguson and Grant Stewart joked early in the afternoon that conditions of consent meant anyone contemplating streaking this year had to don a high-visibility jacket.
Eventually, about 5pm, one man, wearing socks and a bright yellow jacket, hopped the fence and jogged at a leisurely pace down the racetrack to the delight of the snap-happy crowd, many of whom were quick to document the sight.
Intermittent light rain throughout the day failed to put a damper on the event, which included the ever-popular double-banking race, where one rider on horseback sprints down the home straight to swing on a second rider before cantering back at full speed to the finish line.
The smallest horse in that race was Reykir, ridden by sisters Briar (16) and Ellen (14) Swanson, of Lake Benmore.
The siblings and their horse were all kitted out in Viking horns, but by the end of the race only Ellen’s were still in place — and Reykir crossed the finish line riderless after the girls came a cropper on the home straight, but were not injured.
Also uninjured was a rider from Haast who flew off her horse along the home straight and was dragged for a short distance during the relay race, before taking out local photographer Jo Boyd.
The woman was attended by an ambulance crew, but reportedly sustained only a sore knee, and after lying on the ground for several minutes got up and walked away. Ms Boyd suffered some bruising to her chest.
Other riders who fell during the bareback saddling race were also uninjured.
The stockman’s race saw two riders at a time go head-to-head during the heats, tasked with weaving their way around three barrels three times before a final sprint to the finish line.
The neck-and-neck final was between Grace Percy, on Sunny, and Casey Irvine, on Payback. It was the latter who broke away in the home straight and went on to take the title for 2017.
Organiser and Lakeside Rugby Club president Bruce Douglas hailed the day as a success, despite the cooler weather, and said crowd behaviour was fantastic.
The amount raised on Saturday had not been tallied by late yesterday. Proceeds from the event go towards community projects.
