Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

Last Wednesday, Sideline Sid and Mrs Sid had a taste of country thoroughbred racing at its best when they journeyed to the Whakatane Racing Club's winter meeting at the Te Teko racecourse.

In the 21st century, horse racing has become the domain of corporate hospitality at many of the 52 tracks from Ruakaka in the Far North to Ascot Park in the Deep South.

Race days often become an arena of glitz and glamour with fashion stakes and people dressing up to the nines to impress.

In the 1950's and 1960's when the country knew genuine prosperity, the crowds flocked to the countries racetracks in their thousands.

A large proportion of the horses were raced and trained by farmers and country folk and race meetings were often a time for townies to meet country people on equal terms at the local races.

The migration to the countries cities and larger towns during the 1970's and the downturn in the rural economy in the 1980's, resulted in a change in the habits of the nations punters.

No longer did the population embrace horseracing and some country racing clubs facilities fell into a state of disrepair.

The demise of the Paeroa racecourse, which always attracted plenty of country people especially to the Maramura Hunt meeting in May of each year, left a big hole in country racing in the Central North Island.

Standing like a lone sentinel to promote country racing in our region, is the Whakatane Racing Club, who race at Te Teko.

The fledgling course became the focal point of local famers and other horse people in the Eastern Bay of Plenty after WW2.

While the Whakatane RC received its first totalisator permit in 1957, the annual totalisator meeting was held at the Gate Pa racecourse in Tauranga.

Te Teko remained the preserve of non-tote meetings and later on-course only betting meetings, before being granted a totalisator license in the late 1980's.

This longtime racing tragic can recall going to a Te Teko on-course meeting where the tote broke down and the last few races were run without punters being able to place a bet.

Last week's winter meeting is the second allocated to Te Teko during the racing season and follows the highly successful holiday meeting held each year on the Monday of Auckland Anniversary weekend.

At the Te Teko country social event the car park was full, gumboots and swanndri's were the dress of choice by plenty in attendance and the local community rolled up their sleeves to make the day an outstanding success.

There was no gourmet food on sale, but there were plenty of wholesome burgers and steak sandwiches, served up by the local Lions club.

The committee were all on hand to greet and assist the visiting owners and trainers, and owners were invited to the Presidents room before their race/s for a complementary drink.

While on-track facilities are restricted to a small open stand and a barn-like building that houses the tote and bar, country people and city slickers rubbed shoulders together and enjoyed the hospitality and racing on show.

While meetings such as Te Teko are a rare experience for many in the Mid-North Island – long may the unique Te Teko racecourse experience remain well into the future.