David Gilbert
AS the late American entertainer Jackie Gleason would often say “how sweet it is”.
It certainly was last Saturday night for some locals, namely trainer Kevin Von Duve, part owner Lyn Von Duve and driver Mark Phillips, when Springfield Affair caused the biggest boilover in the history of the Mount Gambier Pacing Gold Cup.
Going into the cup final, it seemed the Victorian stables had a stranglehold on our cup, but it turned out totally different in what was the closest finish ever of the event.
A superb Mark Phillips drive eventually saw the judge find a margin for the rank outsider Springfield Affair from Sea Lover, with last year’s winner Royal Speech a close third.
Springfield Affair, generally regarded as a sprinter, with most of his wins in the 1600-1800 metre range, was a $151 chance with corporate bookmakers, as his only other 2590-metre started produced a sixth in last year’s cup final.
The Glencoe-based Von Duve summed it up well when he said “everyone was chuffed for a couple of local amateurs to win the cup”.
“I paid $8,000 for him as a yearling and broke him in and now he has won almost $90,000 in prize money,” a still clearly excited Von Duve told The Border Watch on Monday after celebrations had abated.
“I’ve seen around 45 local cups and they are hard to win and it is the best feeling to win your hometown cup.
“I was hoping he would finish in the first five, however everything went perfectly and it could not have been scripted better.
“Because we had drawn barrier five, I told Mark (Phillips) to go back and drive for luck and I became more confident mid-race when he was three back on the pegs.”
Just when it seemed Sea Lover and Royal Speech would fight out the finish, Springfield Affair darted up along the inside when most expected the five-year-old to be found wanting at the end of the staying distance.
“I was not really sure he could run a strong 2590 metres, but he always tries hard and he ended up having a good run behind the leaders,” Von Duve said.
“I have had three other pacers win 13 races each in their career and Springfield Affair had sat on 13 wins for quite a while prior to Saturday night.”
The gelding now has the interesting statistics of 14 wins, 14 seconds and 14 thirds from his 86 career starts.
At $151, that is certainly the biggest price ever of any gold cup winner and is possibly the longest-priced winner at the Greenwald Paceway.
BEST CUP NIGHT FOR YEARS
THE weather played its part and the Mount Gambier Harness Racing Club was rewarded with its best cup night crowd for some years last Saturday night.
“Considering the trying times for the industry at present, it was a very good result all round,” Mount Gambier harness racing committeeman and life member Phil Wood stated.
A crowd of all ages attended and it all made for a pleasurable night at the trots.
Enjoying the night also was young Adelaide reinsman Corey Johnson who finished the evening with three winners.
“I’ve driven three winners a few times before but that first winner on Saturday night was my first at Mount Gambier,” Johnson said.
The 20-year-old is based at Penfield Gardens, north of Adelaide and he has been coming down to the Mount on and off for drives in the past few years.
Johnson showed plenty of exuberance on his second winner (Barhoon), waving his arms excitedly in the concluding stages, but there was a reason for that.
“He is one of dad’s horses and has been a bit of a handful at times,” Johnson explained.
Fortunately, the stewards were in a kind mood and no fine was imposed on the young driver’s actions.
With a driver’s mini premiership series currently in place at the Greenwald Paceway (and another three meetings to go), there is a chance that Johnson will be seen in action here again shortly.
With excellent prizes of $4,500 for first, $2,000 for second and $1,500 for third, Johnson’s treble puts him in the running for at least one of those prizes.
“If I can get two or three drives per meeting to make the trip down to Mount Gambier worthwhile, then I will certainly look at driving at the remaining meetings.”
Western Victorian driver Lochie Cook and Drumborg trainer Rebecca East both had winning doubles on what was a very lean night for local stables, apart from the cup winner.
Three of the winners came from Adelaide stables and four from western Victoria.
Former Mount Gambier lad Thomas Rundle, now based near Terang, did favourite punters a favour in the final race with White Star Molly ($2).
White Star Molly is a newcomer to the Rundle stable and gave Cook his driving double with an effortless all-the-way win.
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
MOUNT Gambier trainer Vanessa Hutchinson is starting to make a habit of being in the winner’s stall lately.
After Back In Action won on Naracoorte cup day last month for her, the six-year-old gelding repeated the dose with an all-the-way win at Ararat last Friday.
Backed from $10 into $7.50, Back In Action led all the way for apprentice Jacob Opperman in the 2200-metre BM 58 handicap and the race was never in doubt from the top of the straight.
That was the start of three winners in as many days for Opperman, who had another metropolitan winner at Murray Bridge on Saturday aboard the Travis Doudle trained Struck By in the 1400-metre BM 86 handicap.
Opperman then had half a head to spare on the Sue Murphy trained Hasta La Prince ($11) in the 1550-metre BM 58 handicap at Bordertown on Sunday.
Jockey Callan Murray, along with trainers Shayne Cahill and Nicole Irwin, all had doubles at the Bordertown meeting.
Wayne Walters was the only Mount Gambier trainer to have a winner at Bordertown, that being Full Of Dash ($4.60), ridden by Stacey Metcalfe in the 1300-metre maiden handicap.
ADELAIDE CUP INTEREST
ALTHOUGH there is no South East trained galloper in Monday’s Adelaide Cup, we do have an interest in the race as the locally owned Sebonna is in the final field.
A high proportion of his Mount Gambier owners are heading to Morphettville to cheer home Sebonna who will be at big odds against the army of interstate runners.
At the same meeting, the long awaited return to racing of the Sue Murphy trained Hasta La War will occur in the C S Hayes Memorial.
Next Friday, racing is here at Mount Gambier for what will be a lead-up meeting for the big gold cup fixture a fortnight later (March 31).
The meal deal, which was so successful at the Summer cup meeting in January, will again be offered to patrons next Friday.
For $28, you will receive a schnitzel, a drink (beer, wine or soft drink) and a race book.
Tomorrow, just over the border, is Edenhope cup day at Edenhope, a race that has been kind to Naracoorte trainer Sue Murphy in recent times (Naseeb in 2020 and Farooq in 2021) .
A dozen South East stables have runners nominated at Edenhope tomorrow and Murphy will be pinning her hopes on Hasta La Fiorente in the cup.
