Emily and Mont Waters after taking out the ELDERS YASS LTD / EJ MERRIMAN RAVENSWORTH YASS PICNIC CUP (1350 METRES).
The annual Windrose Yass Picnic Races was held at Marchmont Racecourse, Yass, where father-daughter combination Mont and Emily Waters trained and rode the Yass Picnic Races Cup winner, in front of a massive attendance of 3,500 people.
Outstanding fashions on the field and some interesting and fun-filled sprints down the straight at the end of the meeting were a highlight among many.
The Yass Picnics have been a feature of the local racing calendar since the club was formed in September 1901 and they conducted their inaugural race day in April 1902 with R M Osborne’s Insolence carrying 10 stone 10 pounds (68 kilograms) and taking out the feature event on that historic occasion.
In the 2025 running it was Tumbarumba’s rising nine-year-old gelding Namarari, carrying 62kg, who landed the money and the cheers of the big crowd with punters lining the fence to urge their hopes home.
It was Emily’s third Cup win on the same consistent galloper for her Dad, the previous two being at Crookwell in 2023 and at Lockhart last year.
Namarari was the $15 outsider in a field of eight and notched up his eighth win from 78 starts.
Emily, a Kindergarten teacher in Wagga Wagga, has been riding since 2022 and Saturday’s Cup victory was the 19th of her career.
Hugh Rainger, President of the Yass Picnic Races, said, “the day went fantastically. Despite what was a very hot day, it pretty much went off without a hitch. We exceeded last year’s numbers by about another 15-20 percent. “I think we did everything that we did the year before, but we did it better.
“Our gate was smoother, and whilst there was a bit of a line, we got through it a lot quicker.
“Our catering options were bigger and better and the general customer experience was fantastic.
“We’ve received nothing but praise from a lot of people. We have had bookies ring us, we have had trainers ring us, and a lot of locals as well just saying what an awesome day it was.
“We are just stoked with the result.
“I think we will just keep doing the same as a lot of what we are doing now, just keep offering people a really good experience, but also coupled with the work that is going on at Marchmont, the two committees are really complementing each other. They are doing more and more with the site and then we are taking the event to the people and it’s creating a really good experience across the board.
“I think we are getting more of a cross-section of people coming. Word is stretching well beyond the town and there was a lot more Canberra people this year and people travelling from further away, with a group from Harden, a group from Young, word is getting around.
“Even from a horse perspective, we invested more money this year in bumping up the prize money and we will do the same thing again next year with bumping it up a bit more, because at the end of the day the spectacle people are coming to watch is fundamentally the horses and the racing and the jockeys, so if we invest more in that we get a better quality of horse, more of them and it only has a domino effect through the whole system.
“The generosity of the local business community, in particular our sponsors, was amazing. It was beyond expectations and that is the reason that we can afford to try and improve the product because the locals are giving so much more. I think they can see what we are trying to do and they love the enthusiasm.
“I had three different conversations with sponsors that night after the races and they all just said that the enthusiasm, the effort and the polish that you are trying to put on that race day is infectious and we just want to be a part of it next year.
“I think I have locked away already seven of our nine major sponsors for next year. The generosity and support of the community through just turning up is what makes the day. “I really want this to be a day for the whole of Yass and the community. I want it to be all inclusive.
“Everyone chips in in their own little way and I’ve always told them that I don’t care if you can give half an hour, an hour or fifty hours, I don’t care. Committees are a completely voluntary thing to do, so any amount of time or offering is enormously welcome.
“I want to give thanks to: Sally Butt, Charlie Buckmaster, Alison Jones, Sophie Buckmaster, Gary and Debbie Arnold, Alex Atkins, Angus Burleigh, Andrew and Alex Field, Ryan Greenwood, Tim Coleman, Alex Dewar, Charlie Armitage, James Tolmie, Brendan Madden, Erica Mitchell, Ben Yates and George Southwell. “And a huge thank you to non committee members Alan and Bec McRae, Will Wragge and Jude Banister for their help on the day.
“And the massive efforts in the lead up from Juls Wragge, Brad Wylie and Justin Taylor and all the wonderful businesses that supported us in the lead up. Massive thanks to all our sponsors and the wonderful support the Marchmont trust committee have provided the Race club.”
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