Camel racing’s back, baby.
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Towac Park’s annual camel racing meet is always locked into my diary, it’s one of my favourite sports to watch, right up there with hurling and shin kicking – yes, the latter is real, look it up and you won’t be disappointed.
Camel racing is completely ridiculous, which is why I love it.
I’m not being facetious either, because when you know owners and trainers are bringing camels from as far as South Australia and the Northern Territory, you have to appreciate their commitment and passion.
I just think it’s hilarious, that’s all.
These animals are quick when they want to be, they can hit upward of 40 kilometres an hour – thank you Wikipedia, the greatest of all sources.
Only if they want to though, which they often don’t and as the jockeys will tell you, you can’t actually control a camel when you’re riding it.
I covered my first camel race a few years ago and went out to Towac Park assuming I’d write it up the same way I would a thoroughbreds report. How wrong I was.
From the standing start, one camel turned around and ran the wrong way.
Another sat down and roared incessantly until it’s jockey hopped off, that’s when it decided to run.
A third took off beautifully and looked set to storm to victory but then it stopped, turned, lumbered over the gleeful crowd at the fence and started honking and slobbering everywhere.
Then there was last year, when my report focused on a lovely, five-year-old camel named Ruby.
Normally camels don’t start racing until they’re much older than that and it showed with the Orange-trained dromedary. She finished last by a full 13 seconds, but still received a cheer from the crowd like no other as she blerped and bellowed her way past the post.
Little Ruby was the Jamaican bobsled team of the camel racing world, and who can’t appreciate that?
Seriously, the camel races are entertaining, they raise money for Give Me 5 For Kids which is a great charity, they’re family-friendly and more than anything they’re great fun.
What more could you want from an Easter Sunday?