WATCHING Gunsynd become a legend more than 50 years ago was the start of it for Peter Hobday.

And when he was taken to Goondiwindi as a 12-year-old whippersnapper in 1973 to watch Gunsynd parade, Hobday was smitten.

The racing game took hold, and Hobday has never looked back. He loves the game, loves the people who make it happen, and loves the horses.

“As a kid, I was a big fan of Gunsynd – the Goondiwindi grey – and I suppose that’s where it all started,” Hobday said.

Fifty-two years later and Hobday is still hooked on racing, so putting his business name to the Moree Cup as main sponsor was a no-brainer.

Hobday, a lawn-bowls champion with state and national titles adorning the mantelpiece, shares his time between bowling greens on the Gold Coast and his home base in Moree – all while running a hugely successful grain storage agri-business.

“Moree is still home, but I spend a lot of time in Brisbane with work. I always manage to get a game of bowls in at Broadbeach Bowing Club, or maybe a day at the races,” he smiled.

Hobday loves his home town – and for the next three years he’ll proudly hand the historic trophy to the winning connections of the Agri Storage and Logistics Moree Cup.

Hobday, who shares ownership of four-year-old gelding Rocky Rich with good mate and world champion lawn-bowler, Aron Sherriff, said sponsoring Moree’s signature race made sense.

He’s part-owned some exceptional horses over the years, and his daughter, Amee, was head sherang for Sinclair Racing in Moree, before Peter Sinclair transferred to Murwillumbah on the far north coast.

“Club president Rob Mather, who also has interests in horses trained by Peter, approached me about getting involved,” Hobday said.

“Sponsoring the cup felt like the right opportunity to support something we’re all connected to.

“The Moree Race Club has a great committee working behind the scenes, and they do a fantastic job keeping the club strong and supported by the community,” he said.

Hobday says a day at the races, especially when his name is attached to one of the runners, is the perfect way to wind down, meet friends, and support local racing through ownership and sponsorship.

“For me, it’s all about the community, the thrill of watching the horses race, and the connections I’ve built through Amee’s involvement in the industry,” Hobday said.

“There’s something special about being part of it all in your home town.”

Through hard work, foresight and vision, Hobday has created a large grain-handling and storage business.

It’s taken nearly 20 years, and was built from the ground up to cater for the deregulation of on-farm storage for growers.

Since 2006, Agri Storage and Logistics has grown into an Australia-wide company with the capacity to export.

“Despite the growth, we’ve never forgotten where we came from – our focus is still on serving growers and supporting the communities in which we started,” Hobday said.

Hobday has owned a leg or two in many horses over the years, and has seen the winners’ stall plenty of times.

“One that stands out is the mare Suprina and another good one was Simply Nutbush, a colt I picked out myself, which was a real thrill,” Hobday said.

“It’s always a thrill seeing horses I’m involved with run well and succeed. Those moments stick with you.”

At the moment, Hobday is a shareholder in Sydney Highway winner Awaygoesthebunny, Grafton winner Olivershare and Rocky Rich, second last year in the $150,000 Capricornia Yearling Sale Classic at Rockhampton.

The plan was to nominate Awaygoesthebunny, better-known around the traps as Henry, for the Agri Storage and Logistics Moree Cup, but a minor setback has sent the six-year-old to the paddock.

“Henry has certainly had the most success, and he’s probably been my favourite so far,” Hobday said.

“He’s now back with Pete at Murwillumbah but unfortunately, the horse’s tendon flared up which put him out of action for a while.

“He’s having a good rest and should be back racing next year – the 2026 Moree Cup might be an option,” Hobday grinned.

Sinclair said there is a strong chance Rocky Rich will start at the Moree meeting in one of the support races after last week’s Murwillumbah Cup meeting was washed out and transferred to this Thursday.

“The meeting was rescheduled with fresh nominations, so we’ll see how Rocky Rich fares at the barrier draw,” Sinclair said.

“We’ve nominated for the 1300m benchmark-58 at Moree as well, so there’s every chance we might come home for the cup meeting.”

Moree Race Club’s revamped cup weekend features a huge charity gala ball on Friday night – the curtain-raiser to the new-look Agri Storage and Logistics Moree Cup meeting on Sunday.

The charity ball on the grounds of Moree racecourse will raise funds for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.

“Services like the Westpac Rescue Helicopter are absolutely vital in the bush — they save lives,” Hobday said.

“I’ve seen first-hand how important they are – my son, Jason, once had to be flown out by the Royal Flying Doctor Service when he was a kid.

“When you live in rural areas, you rely on these services because help isn’t always close by.

“Knowing they’re there gives families peace of mind and, in many cases, makes the difference between life and death,” he said.

When: August 29-30-31

Where: Moree racecourse

August 29: Grays Online Charity Ball at Moree racecourse, from 5.30pm

August 31: Moree Cup race meeting at Moree racecourse, from midday

Tickets for all events: Agri Storage and Logistics Moree Cup Weekend of Racing

Online Auction: Gala Bid Moree Chopper Ball