A top day of racing is shaping as Castlemaine hosts its annual Gift athletics meet this Sunday.
Castlemaine Athletic Club president Darryl Nettleton says a top day of athletics action is assured for competitors and spectators alike as this Sunday’s Castlemaine Gift has attracted many of the state’s top runners.
“It’s a stepping stone toward the Stawell Gift,” says Mr Nettleton, ahead of the Gift.
“This year we’ve got over 300 athletes entered and they’ll be in more than one race.
“Our main events are the Men’s Gift over the traditional distance of 120 metres and our main women’s race is our 400 metre Women’s Classic which all up is worth $4000.
“It’s one of Victoria’s richest 70 metre races and we’ve got a good mixture of guys and girls that have put their hand up to run in that so it will be run pretty fast I’m guessing.
“The aim of the whole exercise is to present a quality event on an excellent track with a great atmosphere.
“This town has an enormous history in professional running as a lot of the mining towns did.
“We’ve had Gift races here on this ground – the Camp Reserve – going back to the early 1920s – 1921 I think was the first.
