AUSTRALIA prides itself onbeing a nation of sports-mad people. There arehundreds of popular sportsplayed on a weekly basis,most of the common onesyou will most probablyrecognise, like AussieRules, cricket, football,tennis and basketball. Manyof these sports are televisedand covered by the media.Aside from these sportsthere are some unusualones that exist too.

Horse racingHorse racing is an ancientsport with chariot races andmounted races held at theancient Greek OlympicGames (700–40BC) and seenas public entertainmentduring the times of the Ro-man Empire.Since then the basic con-cept of horse racing as asport has undergone littlechange. It is still a contest ofspeed and stamina betweenhorses and their riders forthe amusement of spectatorswith the first horse acrossthe finish line declared thewinner.Horse racing in Australiabegan in the early years ofEuropean settlement whenhorses were revered beyondtheir practical use of tran-sportation and labour.

The first official

ing for prize moneyexceeding $400m.

How to raceIn Australia the style ofracing, the distances and thetype of events vary.Most of the racing is doneon a flat surface of turf(grass), sand, dirt or the newsynthetic Polytrack whichconsists of sand, syntheticfibres and recycled rubber.The races range from 800mto 3200m for flat racing, andanything up to 5000m+ forjumps races.There are different catego-ries in horse racing withmaidens for non-winners,Group One racing for theelite, Mares races for thefemale horses, aged races fortwo, three, four-year-olds andupward horses, races withSpecial or Restricted condi-tions and many more.A Flat Race is where horsesrace on a flat surface with noplanned obstacles in the way.A Hurdle Race is an eventwhere horses are required tojump over a series of hurdles.A Steeplechase event is arace where horses are re-quired to jump over a seriesof obstacles called fences.Harness racing is conductedwith horses racing at a spec-ific gait – a trot or a pace –around a track while pull-ing a driver in a cart.

trainers, breeders and own-ers are vast with many booksand films depicting the “sportof kings” in our country.Today the Australian Rac-ing Board oversees 32,000races at 400 race clubs acrossthe nation’s six states andtwo territories with an esti-mated 36,000 horses compet-

race was held at Hyde Park inOctober 1810 and marked thebeginning of Australia’sfascination with these ani-mals.It is a sport of cultural and

social significance and animportant part of Australia’shistory and folklore. Storiesof legendary horses, jockeys,

It’s horses for courses at tracks across the nation in a sport worth $400 million

The Sporting SceneThe Sporting Scene

TOMORROW:

The Sporting

Scene Part 4

TOMORROW:

The Sporting

Scene Part 4

Cane Toad RacesIN KEEPING with the Aussie traditionof betting on anything that moves,cane toad racing has become part ofthe sporting scene, with regularraces held in towns across thecountry, where the pest has becomeprevalent.The cane toad was introduced toAustralia in 1933 to help control thecane beetle but unfortunately thetoad thrived, to the detriment oflocal wildlife. The toads can grow asbig as dinner plates and number inthe millions, largely thanks to nothaving any natural predators to stoptheir numbers from growing. Mostpeople want to get rid of them butanother use has been found for them– racing.A cane toad race usually consistsof 10 toads that are auctioned off tospectators, named and fitted with anumber on their back to tell themapart. The “owners” are issued withtheir cane toads, kiss them andplace them in a bucket in the centreof a circle marked out on the floor.When the bucket is lifted, the canetoads take off. The first three toadsto hop out of the circle win theirowners a prize.After the races, toads aredisposed of in a humane manner.The suggested method is to placethem in a plastic bag in a freezer.

Did you know?1. A recent national survey showedmore than 11 million Australiansaged 15 and older participated atleast once a week in physicalactivity.2. About 70% of Australiansparticipate in sport for exercise orrecreation.3. The 10 most popular physicalactivities are: walking,aerobics/fitness, swimming, cycling,tennis, golf, running, bushwalking,soccer and netball.

Tip for playing sportALWAYS ensure you wearappropriate safety gear whenplaying sport. The protectiveequipment should be appropriatefor the sport, your size and age;be worn during training andcompetition; fit correctly; andbe regularly maintained.

THEUNUSUALTHE

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FUN FACTS● Thoroughbred horses can reach speeds of 65km an hour,with eight-metre strides● The first horses arrived in Australia in January 1788● Horse racing is the third most attended spectator sportafter AFL and rugby league● The horse racing industry in Australia is among the topthree leading Thoroughbred racing nations of the world andcan claim the distinction of having the most tracks

PHOTO:AAP

WINNER: Brett Prebble riding Green Moon (right) is congratulatedby James McDonald riding Fiorente as he wins the EmiratesMelbourne Cup race during 2012 Melbourne Cup Day.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

SPORTY SNAPSHOT |In this photo add your thoughts to the speech bubbles.

PHOTO: BUNDABERG NEWS MAIL / MAX FLEET

User: Paul.Stuart Time: 09-11-2013 10:21 Product: SSH PubDate: 11-09-2013 Zone: All Edition: Main Page: SHARED_14 Color: CMYK