First harness racing meeting to remember late trainer/president Peter Shepherdson

Harness racing will return to Narrabri Showground this Easter Sunday when Narrabri Harness Racing Club hosts the first of its two 2026 meetings.

The Easter meeting will be an extra special one as the club and its visitors honour the life and memory of the late Peter Shepherdson, who was the club’s president up until he sadly passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 21, aged 74 years.

Peter was a highly-respected member of the harness racing community both in Narrabri and beyond, making an impact as an owner and trainer of pacers and most notably as president of the Narrabri Harness Racing Club.

There will be a memorial race named after both Peter and his late brother Raymond, which will be a chance to remember two men who gave so much to harness racing, especially here in Narrabri.

There will be seven races in total at Narrabri Showground this Sunday, two of which will be heats for the Santos Cup, with the final for that event to be held at the club’s second meeting on Sunday, April 12.

There will also be a John and Beryl Dean Memorial prelude this Sunday, with pacers that line up in that race to be given first preference for the April 12 final.

Local reinsman Chris Shepherdson will be in action on Sunday in at least three races. He told The Courier that it would be an entertaining day.

“We’re very excited for Sunday. We only get the two meetings a year, around Easter time, so it’s a really good opportunity for us to showcase harness racing around Narrabri,” Shepherdson said.

“We’ll have the Peter and Raymond Shepherdson memorial race there on Sunday. That’ll be in their honour because they did a lot for Narrabri Harness Racing Club during their time. It will be a nice way to show respect for them.

“We’re looking forward to putting on an event for the Narrabri community.

“Entry is free and there will be food and beverages available, and on-course punting available too.

“We always seem to get a really good turnout for our races. We’re expecting a competitive meeting,” he added.

“There will be trainers from both the Newcastle area and the Tamworth area, and from other parts of NSW as well, and we might have some from Queensland too.”