In addition, the legendary broadcaster will be the guest speaker at the Gunsynd Celebration Dinner on Friday night, April 28 before the races at the Royal Hotel.

Following a washout of the Vern Kleinschmidt Goondiwindi Cup in September 2022, the Club was able to reschedule the feature to April with the help of Racing Queensland.

“At first we had some reservations about going on a long weekend, especially Show weekend, but on weighing it all up, the Club could see an advantage,” Race Club treasurer Graeme Sheu said.

“We hope with the full weekend program on offer, we will draw more people back to Goondiwindi replacing those that head off for a four-day weekend.  

“Especially when we closely looked at the history of the great Gunsynd, the coincidences are extraordinary”.

History will be relived on the Friday night at the 50-year celebration of Gunsynd’s last start on April 28, 1973.  

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the fairy tale send-off that everyone hoped for, when New Zealander Apollo 11 beat the Goondiwindi Grey as a 10-9 favourite. 

In a remarkable coincidence, this year’s Cup will be run on the 40^th anniversary of Gunsynd’s sad passing at the age of 16.

The weekend will be supported by all four families of the original owners and a lot of family and friends will make their way back to Goondiwindi.

Tickets for the weekend’s events are now on sale, but due to the sheer number of family, sponsors and connections, spots at the dinner are limited and won’t last long.

General admission tickets for the races are $10 and can be purchased here.

Patrons requiring reserved seating and catering packages can also contact Maurie Hayes on 0428 987 522 or Mary-Jane Thompson on 0427 299 080.  

After the races, everyone is encouraged to support the night time entertainment of the Goondiwindi Show.

It’s all roads to Goondiwindi at the end of April, as the great Goondiwindi Grey will receive one more tribute with friends old and new reuniting to relive those great memories.