Entertainment
21 May, 2026
Great afternoon of fashion, racing
TALENT in both fashion and horse racing will be on show at the Mareeba Turf Club this Saturday when the Battle of the Bush qualifier and the Fashions from Afar winners will be decided.
Overall prizemoney of $33,000 will be awarded to the successful horses of the five-race card, with the winner of the Battle of the Bush Mareeba Qualifier Open Plate over 1210m to head to Brisbane to compete at Tattersall’s Tiara Raceday at Eagle Farm on 27 June.
For the fashionistas, the stakes are high, with the Ladies and Gents winners of the Fashions from Afar competition to receive a $1500 prize towards expenses to attend the finals in Brisbane on 27 June.
Three special judges will determine the winners including Tim Marsh who has won numerous sashes at local, intra and interstate race meetings. He won the Open Men’s Racewear category at the Cairns Amateurs six times, and represented the Mareeba Turf Club twice in Fashions From Afar, winning the state title in 2024.
Rebecca Conlan says she fell in love with Fashions on the Field as a late starter when she was 40, “proving it’s never too late to try something new”.
“I admire and wear local designers, milliners and fashion sourced from our region,” she said.
The third judge is Natalie Taylor, the person behind the successful brand, N.A.T Millinery.
Natalie’s greatest career achievement thus far was being sashed 1st Runner Up for the prestigious Lillian Frank AM MBE award at the 2023 Melbourne Cup.
The race day kicks off at 11am, and promises to be a great afternoon out, with live music, bookies onsite, hot food and cold drinks, and a licensed bar.
Cost for adults is $15, pensioners $10 and kids get in free. Email mareebaturfclub@bigpond.com for information or book by going to https://events.humanitix.com/tradies-day-battle-of-the-bush-qualifier
