By Erin Bishop  March 11

A fundraising initiative by the Ashburton Trotting Club is seeing pieces of the town's racing history being sold to the highest bidder.

They are selling drivers' plates from the old indicator board at the Ashburton Racecourse, with the first two put on internet auction site TradeMe, attracting strong interest from buyers.

Legendary Mid Canterbury driver Ricky May's driver's plate sold on Tuesday night to a Christchurch buyer for $345, although another local legend didn't prove quite as popular.

Peter Ferguson's plate didn't reach the $100 reserve, but sold shortly after the auction for $80.

Next up the club will start some head-to-head auctions on TradeMe, starting with father-and-son duo Peter and Mark Jones.

Ashburton Trotting Club committee member Phill Hooper said the idea came up when the old indicator board was being pulled down and replaced with the new electronic one.

Most of the drivers' plates were in good order and it was suggested something should be done with them. One idea was to auction them on a race day.

The idea was modified slightly to where it is today, giving fans or the drivers themselves a chance to pick up a piece of history.

"We thought, you never know, Ricky May might have a fan in Auckland or something, and sure enough it sold for $345," Mr Hooper said.

While that might be hard to beat, a few talented drivers' names were yet to be put in the mix, such as the leading reinsman from the past couple of years, Dexter Dunn.

The trotting club is due to put a further 100 unsigned plates on its website in the near future. They will be of lesser known drivers and there had already been interest in buying them, Mr Hooper said.

They'll be at www.ashburtontc.co.nz, while more signed plates will be put on TradeMe early next week.

The funds raised will go towards the refurbishment of the garden bar area at the Ashburton Racecourse.

Pictured: Champion Mid Canterbury driver Ricky May