FORGET the racing purist's championship of Australasia, the Cox Plate, the biggest day of Australian racing at the Derby meeting at Flemington, the nation's unofficial public holiday at the Melbourne Cup or the fashion-filled glamour fest that is Oaks day.
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The real racing happened last week at the slightly less well known venue of Thistlebeds Station, east of Burra.
It was a pretty fair effort for a group of predominantly young committee people to get a picnic race meeting off the ground, especially after a 12-year recess.
There used to be a sizeable circuit of picnic meetings across the countryside and they generally formed a large part of rural social life and fundraising efforts.
Unfortunately, spiralling public liability insurance costs and the usual problem of shrinking rural and regional populations took their toll on most of these meetings.
A warm Saturday set the scene for an unforgettable experience for those who had never been to a picnic race meeting. For many it was an opportunity to reminisce about the old days, with memories recalled and laughs shared.
The racecourse at Thistlebeds is not quite as refined as Flemington. This understatement was highlighted by the swirling dust that greeted avid racegoers on arrival.
The venues do have some similarities. When I arrived in the car park there was at least one group of revellers who had set up a gazebo and were enjoying mid-morning snacks and refreshments.
Sadly there were no suits or ties in evidence but several ladies stood out with delicate hats adorning coiffured heads on denim and moleskin-clad legs and check-shirted torsos, although I was disappointed there were no fascinators in sight - not that I'm all that certain what a fascinator actually is.
The crowd was a revelation. The organising committee had mixed expectations but, until the day, nobody was sure of the support they would gather.
To say the crowd was rather eclectic would be understating the case. There were horsey kids and parents for the gymkhana events, the barrel racing girls turned out in their cowgirl finery and the serious racing crowd were there to test their chargers on the old track.
Then there were the rest of us - a 'buck's party' from the Yorke Peninsula; a prominent stock firm with a bevy of invited guests in tow, sipping cold beverages all day; and the plain curious who wanted to have a look and be entertained.
There were a couple of moments of discomfort during the day.
The dust caused by the vehicle harrowing the barrel racing arena obscured the view of the girls competing. Similarly the haze made it near impossible to ascertain the horses as they raced about the track and most had to be content to see their favourite as it flashed past the winning post.
It was hot, so luckily the beer was cold. This very important ingredient was enjoyed by the crowd and this of course ensured the after-race entertainment was a great success.
The Eastern Grey's started the ball rolling, followed by The Barking Ants, and the young and not so young brigade partied into the small hours.
Despite the heat and dust all had a good time.
The organising committee did a wonderful job and the Royal Flying Doctor Service is a lot better off for the effort.
For those wondering who the winners on the day were, I confess I can't remember, maybe it was all those cold cans!
