BATHURST Harness Racing Club will hold its Oberon community race night this Friday, January 17. The first race is scheduled for a 6.07pm start.

The meeting will consist of 10 races and the feature will be the Elgas Oberon Cup.

As they do every year, the Oberon community have really got behind their night with sponsorship from Oberon Council, Elgas, Jenolan Holiday Park, Oberon Trash Pak, Oberon Quarries, The Big Trout Motor Inn, Rosedale Gifts, Bowyer and Livermore, Oberon RSL, Oberon Golf Club, Barkers Butchery, Kio-ora Rural, John Brien, Sunnypoint Pastoral Co, Mawhoods Super IGA and Mawhoods Mitre 10.

All proceeds from the charity raffle and auction will go to Ronald McDonald House in Orange.

The first prize in the raffle is a Hisense Smart TV.

The auction items will include six dressed lambs, a framed Pat Rafter T-shirt, a vintage postcard signed by Don Bradman and a framed poster signed by Scott McLaughlin (sporting items are donated by Wayne White).

A big thank you again to the boys of Bowyer and Livermore who always do a fantastic job running the auction.

The Princess of the Paceway competition will run again this year. Entrants are Shaya Sargent and Maddie Pincott.

The girls will be selling the raffle tickets on the night and will be in the running to receive great prizes.

And who can forget the annual novelty race, man versus the horse, sponsored by Barkers Butchery.

See Nathan Voytilla-Borg and Rhydah Leihn take on one of the horses from the Steve Turnbull stable. It is always a close race and great to watch.

The night will also include a jumping castle for the children as well as Mr Whippy.

Pat O'Donnell will be playing music in between the races.

Bathurst Harness Racing Club is also gearing up for the Gold Crown Carnival from Wednesday, March 18 to Saturday, March 28.

Over the course of the carnival, Bathurst will again attract the attention of racing enthusiasts in Australia, New Zealand and around the world, bringing together five high profile title races, evenings filled with dinners, and events celebrating the sport, its competitors and fans, as well as historical tours and other exciting events.

Social events will include the calcutta/barrier draw, honouree dinner, ladies' night marquee function, the ambrose golf day, the Gold Crown Ball and the Final Night Marquee Function.

The two-year-old finals on the last Saturday night of March will each offer $100,000 in prizemoney.