Horses weren’t the only species tearing up the track at this year's Hāwea Picnic Races, adding to the mix of the 7-race meeting.
For the first time in the event’s 77-year history, humans were also able to feel the thrill of galloping along Hāwea Domain with the introduction of 1500m races for both men and women.
Hāwea Picnic Racing Club chairman Paul Cunningham said there had been a practical reason for the new categories.
"We’re a wee bit light on horses, so we’ve decided to bring in something different," he said.
This year's Hāwea Picnic Races event featured 7 regular horse races, interspersed with two "human" races as "something different".
A crowd of about 1000 people gathered at the domain, which was slightly down on previous years. But Mr Cunningham was impressed by the number of families attending.
