Day for kids big and small

By Gavin Staindl
THIS Saturday’s annual Cardinia Shire Kids Day Out at the Pakenham Racecourse is set to be bigger and better than ever before.
Featuring jumping castles, a bungee trampoline, go-karts as well as slides, painting and dancing the attractions will keep the kids entertained throughout the whole afternoon.
Accompanying the attractions will be quality racing that is sure to excite even the casual spectator.
The running of the Cardinia Gift will be another feature of the day as Little Athlete participants show off their talent along the home straight.
With blue skies forecast for this Saturday, the whole afternoon is tipped to be a massive event that is expected to bring well over 1000 kids to the free event, according to Pakenham Racing Group president Michael Hodge.
By collecting and presenting the coupon in your Cardinia Connect, the whole family can enjoy the festivities and quality racing for free.
“It is a great day out for kids and the community as there are so many activities… (And) by bringing along the December-January edition of your Cardinia Collect you save $12 per adult,” Hodge said.
The Pakenham Gazette’s Wally Wombat will be making appearances at 1 and 2pm.
Hodge is also looking forward to a good day’s worth of racing.
“The quality should be quite good as the money is excellent,” Hodge said.
With each of the eight races offering no less than $12,000 in prize money, the fields quickly filled and well-known Bunyip trainer Cam Templeton was one of many to enter.
Templeton has entered Stashalot in the featured Cardinia Shire Cup and believes his horse will be “very hard to beat”.
Templeton has also entered Cryptologist into the P.B. Ronald Memorial.
The memorial is a commemoration of the late Peter Ronald who served 44 years on the Pakenham Racing committee and is considered a local legend for his involvement in racing as well as his work around the community.