THE history pages of Mount Gambier racing will add new dimensions at Allan Scott Glenburnie racecourse this afternoon, on one proviso.
In a day of firsts, the Mount Gambier Gold Cup will be run in summer for the first time in its 139 year history, with the switch to a twilight cup (at 6.10pm) and the eight-year-old gelding Survived will be attempting to be the first horse to make it a hat-trick of Gold Cup victories.
Several gallopers have won the race twice and it will be no mean feat for Survived to create history as he is facing much stronger opposition to what he faced when successful back in mid May.
The one proviso to all of that happening is mother nature, a problem that has dogged local racing administrators for nearly 20 years and the forecast of heavy showers and rain periods today understandably has Mount Gambier Racing Club
officials on edge.
Varying amounts of rain have been forecast for today (8-25 mms) and thunderstorms on Wednesday night already have softened the track up, with 19 mms of rain registered, forcing a downgrade yesterday from a Good 4 to a Soft 5.
If the worst possible scenario occurred and the day’s racing was called off, would
consider postponing (instead of abandoning) the meeting until Monday or Tuesday of next week, as has been done elsewhere in Australia for cup meetings in the past?
“We would have to consider a number of things if that were to occur,” TRSA’s Andrew Macdonald said yesterday afternoon.
“For starters, a look into Sky Channel’s time slots for early next week, but nothing will be even considered until if, and when, it ever gets to that stage.”
Here’s hoping cup day is done and dusted today, as the club has been rewarded with very good sized fields and excellent quality in the better races.
If Survived is to etch his name into the history books, racegoers will see the Archie Alexander trained performer doing what he does best, that is rolling along in the lead at his own tempo as has been the scenario in his last two cup victories.
But, as previously stated, the line up is considerably stronger today, with the Jarrod McLean trained Instrumentalist gunning for a hat-trick of wins in the space of a month after wins in the Mortlake cup and over 2500 metres in Adelaide.
Then we have the recent Hamilton cup winner Bling Dynasty who will be looking to give Horsham trainer Paul Preusker his first Mount Gambier cup success.
Preusker has had a plethora of winners in the Limestone Coast in the past couple of years and although Bling Dynasty is yet to win over 2400 metres, he warmed to the task with a last-start second in the 2000 metre Ararat cup.
Murray Bridge trainer Grant Young is bringing Tunes for the race, a runner up in Adelaide at three of his last four races, the only blemish being at Flemington over the spring carnival when he ran last in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The only Mount Gambier trainer to have runners in the cup is Wayne Walters with three representatives and two of those (Choysa and Jim’s Special) have been in winning form of late.
Choysa put up a remarkable performance to win first up at Warrnambool in late October before a well beaten last start fourth to Instrumental in the Mortlake cup.
The mare appears the pick of the Walters trio, but does not need a heavy track.
Jim’s Special has won two of his past three starts in restricted company at Stawell and Donald and faces a stiff rise in class today.
