More than 60 terriers are expected to compete in the iconic Jack Russell Race at the Wanaka A&P Show next month.

The annual K9 Natural Jack Russell Race takes place at 12.15pm on Saturday, March 11, as part of the anticipated Wānaka Show. The Show – which attracts more than 40,000 people each year – is one of the South Island’s largest lifestyle events.

Wānaka A&P Show event manager Jane Stalker says the Jack Russell race is an undisputed highlight of the two-day Show extravaganza.

“The atmosphere is quite incredible – it is fantastic to see thousands of people in one place, gathering around the arena to have a good laugh,” she says. “The K9 Natural Jack Russell Race is always one of the most memorable parts of the Show, especially for the younger ones.”

The world-famous Jack Russell race has been a drawcard of the Wānaka A&P Show since 1998 when it was introduced by the Burdon family, after being inspired by a similar event they saw in the UK. The energetic terriers line up at the start line, then run a lap of the arena with a little encouragement from a dead hare being dragged along by a horse.

This year, Southland police officer Ashleigh Smail will be riding the horse and only time will tell if veteran Jack Russell Harry – the event’s five-time champion – will once again be top dog.

“We invite any proud owners of a Jack Russell to bring him or her along to the next race. It’s free to enter and it’s guaranteed to be a great show,” Stalker adds.

Months of intense training are not required for the K9 Natural Jack Russell Race – one sniff of the hare and the naturally adventurous terriers are ready to run. The most important part is to ensure the dog is trained to come back to its owner after the race.

K9 Natural global brand manager Grace Grocott says entrants can enter the race on the day at the K9 Natural stand at the Wānaka A&P Show.

“We are proud and excited to once again get behind the iconic Jack Russell Race and show our support for the 2023 lineup,” she says. “It’s always a treat and a guaranteed laugh watching Jack Russells of all sizes take to the field and display their varying levels of performance, commitment, speed, and most importantly, enthusiasm! There will be K9 Natural race kits for all our Jack Russell race participants on the day – we can’t wait to see who takes out the winner’s trophy this year.”

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