Sport
14 March, 2026
Crowds hyped up as drivers trotted with the bulls
Although, from her two starts for the Ashwood stable, her winning margins were 66.8m and 27.7m at Mildura.
THE inaugural $125,000 Cargill’s Running of the Bulls at Birchip meeting on Sunday lived up to all its hype.
The event drew a large crowd that enjoyed a great afternoon of racing and social interaction.
The winner was the lowest rated horse in the race having only started six times before Sunday.
Although, from her two starts for the Ashwood stable, her winning margins were 66.8m and 27.7m at Mildura.
The winning slot holder was Giddy Up with Gareth Hall from the sports radio station SEN who took what seemed to some to be a huge gamble on a lightly raced mare.
When she was unable to take advantage of her pole line draw, it looked for a while that the doubters were right.
However, they hadn’t taken the Herbie factor into their calculations.
James Herbertson produced another classic drive and was able to extricate the mare from the pack to round up the leader and scramble home by a head.
The winning driver recovered from being wheeled into the Sunshine Hospital last weekend, as he was unable to walk, to being back driving at Melton trials on Tuesday and winning race two at Shepparton that evening.
The Mick Gadsden trained Bizzness Class, who represented the slot of the Birchip-Watchem Football Club finished fourth after having very little luck in the run.
On the day that the rest of the world celebrated International Women’s Day the harness racing ladies celebrated by winning five of the six races at Birchip that they were represented in.
Hamilton reinswoman Jackie Barker took the honours with four wins from her six drives and Melton driver Eva Justice won the Willowood Farms Pace.
The Birchip Club and the local community are to be congratulated on the upgrades they did to the facility in preparation for this weekend.
Their man Tim O’Connor worked tirelessly throughout the meeting with driver interviews and chats with members of the crowd that were relevant to the occasion.
Next Sunday it is Charlton’s turn with their Cup meeting that, apart from the two cups, features the Joe Thompson Country Mile.
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