Birdsville Flies High Despite The Rain

There is nothing quite as uniquely Australian as Queensland’s Birdsville races.

For over 130 years, the ‘carnival’ has attracted racegoers from all walks of life. This year, Birdsville wrote another memorable chapter with the races – set down for Friday and Saturday – washed out, but organisers quickly improvised by combining both programs and staging 11 races on the Sunday.

It stands testimony to the passion of the Birdsville team that they were even able to race on the Sunday given most of the surrounding area remains under water – as the images from Aushorse photographer, Sharon Chapman, show.

Fittingly, less than a year after Michelle Payne became the first female to ride a Melbourne Cup winner, this Flemington of the outback created some history of its own with the 2016 Birdsville Cup winner, Moore Alpha, the first winner to be trained (Heather Lehmann) and ridden (Kayla Cross) by women.

“遍寻我所到过的国家，从未有一个节日庆典能够被全民所热爱，能够将全民凝聚在一起。墨尔本杯就是有这种魅力，它使我震惊不已。”