Dongara Irwin Race Club gets the green light to run the 2025 Dongara Cup

The Dongara Cup has been given the green light after stewards from Racing and Wagering WA deemed it fit for racing, with the club gearing up for its biggest event of the year this Saturday. It has been two years since the cup was run due to track conditions, but work around the clock has the track and surrounds up to scratch for a 2025 event. Dongara Irwin Race Club president Pat Ryan said it had been a community effort to bring the cup back to its glory. “We have had volunteers helping us around the clock,” he said. “The community have played a huge part in getting this up and going again. “There have also been companies that are around town that have come in with machinery and labour to help out with the upgrades that were required to get the show on the road.” After the cancellation of the Mingenew Cup only weeks out from Dongara’s first inspection, tensions were high as the club prepared for RWWA to come and inspect the track. Mingenew was cancelled due to poor track conditions only a week out from its proposed race date, leaving the club with no option but to pull the pin. Word came back to Dongara as they prepared their track for inspection only a week after the Mingenew cancellation. After not having the cup run for the last two years, Dongara Irwin Race Club and the community sprung into action, hoping to remedy the mistakes of its fellow regional Mid West track, Mingenew. But it wasn’t just the track that was cause for concern for Dongara, with surrounds receiving complaints including the yards where trainers would keep their horses. Concerns surrounding large trees that backed onto the horse yards had been raised previously, contributing to the cancellation of the cup for the previous two years. The 16 large tuart trees measuring at a metre-and-a-half in diameter that were cause for concern have now all been cut down with an added shade sail over all horse yards ensuring the safety of horses, trainers and patrons. The main reason for the cancellation of the event over the past two years has been the state of the track, with RWWA stewards previously deeming it unfit for racing. The tick of approval was given after the final trot on Monday was completed. Club vice-president Russell Hansen said the track itself was now in the best shape it had been in for a long time. “The track is right up there now,” he said. “There were areas of concern leading up to the inspection which we were a bit nervous about. “But with the community’s help we have been able to get it up to scratch and it looks fantastic.” It has been a joint effort between Ryan and Hansen, with work being conducted on and off the track for months as they prepared for the club’s marquee event. The Saturday meet has already sold out of the first lot of tickets, amassing over 2000 tickets sold. The club is releasing a second lot of tickets as they expect a big crowd of keen punters.

Dongara Irwin Race Club gets the green light to run the 2025 Dongara Cup

The No. 1 source of news for every West Australian

Everyday Digital

Everyday Digital + Weekend Papers