The meeting was expected to be held on December 6 but follows in the footsteps of the Gunbower Gold Cup which was cancelled in August.
With it remaining unclear whether crowds would be able to attend Gunbower Harness Racing Club, secretary Peter O’Shea said the organising committee and Harness Racing Victoria had the decision basically taken out of their hands.
“We were disappointed we won’t be able to host the meeting this year,” O’Shea said.
“Last year we had the largest crowd in a long time, and everything was pointing towards us improving that figure again.
“We’re now just looking forward to being able to run a successful event in 2021.”
O’Shea said the decision wouldn’t just impact the club’s fundraising efforts but also the wider community.
“These events usually do wonders for a lot of our community groups,” he said.
“Without them a lot of groups are going to be missing out on funding they rely on to help them.
“It has been a tough year for the community but we’re going to keep working hard to make sure we are supporting each other through everything.
“The town’s spirit is amazing, and you can always rely on it in tough times.”
After changes to Harness Racing Victoria’s calendar for 2021, Gunbower is now expected to host its next event in April.
The event will be the $25,000 George Croxford Tribute which was won by Freddy Taiba-trained pacer Private Eye earlier this year.
“We would usually hold that event in February, but we’ve had to be flexible like every else,” O’Shea said.
“It will be great if we are able to host the event because it is always a good day of racing.”
In 2019, the Gunbower Pacing Cup was won by Rupert Of Lincoln in a time of 1.57.9.
Meanwhile the Gunbower Trotters Cup was won by the Brent Lilley trained and Josh Duggan driven Kyvalley Barney for Jim Connelly.
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