After a week of rain, the sun came out on Saturday morning and we were blessed with a beautiful day for our Bears Day at the Races. Guests arrived early at the magnificent Ballroom at Royal Randwick Racecourse, ready for the first of 10 races to get underway at 11.50am. After enjoying canapes and drinks, the crowd were drawn to the thundering of hooves and made our way out to the balcony to watch the spectacular finish of the first of many races.

Sitting down to enjoy a delicious entree of grilled Australian prawns, James Bracey opened proceedings and introduced CEO Gareth Holmes to address the audience, followed swiftly by a Q&A with elite racing trainer John O’Shea who ended his chat with a winning tip for the day. With in-room betting provided by our club sponsors Palmerbet, the rowdy crowd got into the swing of races trying to ascertain odds, breeds and track conditions.

Best dressed male went to our very own NSW Cup Player Coby Thomas who was looking very dapper in a cream suit, and best dressed female was won by Lanie Martyr, from the Command 51 group, with runner up Nikki Lawson, from JJ Lawson group, who both stunned in gorgeous dresses and head pieces.

While enjoying our mains of Beef Tenderloin or Barramundi, Bears and rugby league legends Gary Larson, Les Kiss and Mark Graham took to the stage for a fascinating discussion about the past, present and future. Concluding the event with a flurry in live and silent auctions that generated over $20,000 for the Red & Black Foundation. Thank you to all who came and supported our annual event, both in person and remotely!