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The Canberra Racing Club is proud to announce the first 11 community partners for the 2024 Canberra Community Chest, to be held on Sunday, 24 November.

The Canberra Community Chest unities 12 charities, sporting clubs and community groups with an equine hero to race  for their share of $50,000. 

An independent committee made up of the Canberra Business Chamber Chair Archie Tsirimokos, Clubs ACT  Operations Manager Kate Palmer and Hands Across Canberra Chief Executive Genevieve Jacobs were set the difficult  task of selecting 10 partners from an incredible list of 29 applicants. Pegasus Riding for the Disabled were an automatic  selection after their horse was scratched from the 2023 event, with the 12th a final partner to be selected by the  community in a People’s Choice vote. 

The 11 partners selected by the independent selection committee are as follows: 

Canberra Blind Society Inc. applied to be a partner after missing out in 2023 and Executive Officer Glenn Doney was  thrilled to hear that his organisation had been selected in 2024. 

“The Canberra Community Chest is a fantastic initiative by the Canberra Racing Club, it brings much-needed attention  to local charities that might otherwise go unnoticed, helping to raise awareness about the valuable work these  organisations do.” Doney said. 

“By highlighting their services, the initiative enables these charities to reach and positively impact a larger portion of  the community.” 

“Funds raised from the Canberra Community Chest will help us hire an Exercise Physiologist to run weekly exercise  classes.” 

“These sessions will give our clients a chance to engage in regular exercise within a safe and supportive environment,  promoting a healthy lifestyle and encouraging them to continue these activities within the broader community.” 

Canberra Racing Club Chief Executive Darren Pearce is excited by the diversity and importance of each of the causes  that will be supported by the 2024 Canberra Community Chest. 

“Giving back to our community is so important to us and the stronger we are together, the more we can do together.” 

“We have such a wonderful mix of partners this year, each with their own compelling story which obviously spoke to  the selection committee.” 

“I would like to say a big thank you to all of the applicants, I didn’t envy the selection committee’s job and I wish them  all the best for the People’s Choice Award voting campaign.” 

“We have number of important local charities who do so much for our community but also this year we’ll partner with  a couple of equine welfare-based organisations which is special for a club who loves horses.” 

“We strive to be an industry leader in equine welfare standards, so we look forward to working with Horse Aid and  Equine Pathways who share these values.” 

“We are focused on being a positive force within the Canberra community and look forward to providing a wonderful  opportunity for everyone to enjoy top-class racing with purpose.”  

The remaining 19 eligible applicants will now enter a people’s choice award to determine the final beneficiary, with  voting to go live from Tuesday, 10 September via www.thoroughbredpark.com.au and closing on Friday, 8 November. 

Once the 12th partner has been determined by the community, all partners will be invited to a special Black-Tie event  prior to the race day where a representative will randomly draw their equine hero to represent them in the Canberra  Community Chest. 

The Canberra Community Chest will be run as a Quality Open Handicap over 1400m worth $200,000 in addition to the $50,000 community chest. 

Entry into this community event is free in 2024.