Pacing for Pink breaks all records

The commencement of winter has seen the biggest ever Pacing for Pink harness racing campaign draw to a close.

While money is still being counted from across the country, co-ordinator Margaret Watson confirmed the campaign has broken all previous records.

“We are still working on the final figure, but I am thrilled to announce that it will exceed the $100,000 mark for the first time,” Watson told thetrots.com.au.

Pacing for Pink has been running for 12 years, with the previous fundraising benchmark of $68,000 donated to the McGrath Foundation last year.

Originally a Victorian-based fundraiser, interest grew interstate and for the first time in 2022 pink pants were worn by drivers across Australia.

Watson was full of praise for the harness racing community and in particular clubs and individuals who actively jumped on board to help raise money.

“Ararat were once again fantastic supporters, raising $17,000 from their area alone” she said.

“A number of sponsors also went the extra mile and donated additional money or per driving win. All of these people need to be commended for their generosity.

“New South Wales were involved for the first time and Club Menangle were so proactive with supporting the campaign by donating money for every pink pants winner at Menangle, as well as hosting a high tea.”

There were plenty of highlights throughout the month of May, including Glenn McGrath attending the major fundraising day at Shepparton. A beautiful hand-painted canvas of the late Gavin Lang was also donated by Michelle Goddon and fetched $2500 in one of the auctions during the afternoon.

“HRV made a fabulous donation to us at Shepparton which was a show of support for the Pacing for Pink team. It was just wonderful to see everyone pitching in to make the campaign such an amazing success,” Watson said.

Another touching moment at Shepparton came from Tania Ward, who raised a significant amount of money by having her head shaved.

Queensland’s Pete McMullan was the overall pink pants leading driver for the month with 29 wins, closely followed by Victoria’s Mark Pitt on 27 and Greg Sugars on 25 wins.

In all, 182 drivers wore pink pants through May and all funds raised through the campaign will be donated to the McGrath Foundation, which funds breast care nurses in communities right across Australia.

by Nikkita Ross, for HRV