By David Gilbert
ANOTHER feather in the cap for local apprentice Jacob Opperman with the news he will be representing South Australia at the 2023 National Apprentice Race Series in the next month.
Not once, but twice as it turns out for the series which is being held during March and April at city and provincial race tracks all round Australis.
Opperman was originally given the gig to ride for SA at the final meeting of the series at Sandown in Melbourne on Wednesday, April 19 but he will also be Brisbane bound next Wednesday (March 29) for the fifth round.
“Ben Price was picked to be South Australia’s representative in Brisbane but has copped a suspension from stewards and I have accepted the opportunity to be his replacement at Eagle Farm next week,” Opperman told The Border Watch.
Here’s hoping Opperman can boot home a winner as there has been lean pickings for our South Australian representatives in the eight races conducted so far (two each in Darwin, Perth, Hobart and Strathalbyn).
The steady run of winners for Opperman this season has continued and he rode his tenth metropolitan winner in Adelaide last Saturday.
That was aboard Heka Express ($6.50) for trainer Bryan Holtham in the 1000 metre BM 86 handicap at Morphettville Parks.
It was the second occasion in three months that Opperman had won at city level on Heka Express for the Laura based trainer.
I put it to Opperman that he really deserves more opportunities from the bigger stables in Adelaide given his good record this season at city, provincial and country level.
“Because I am based in Mount Gambier, I do not ride trackwork for the bigger Adelaide stables and therefore miss out on the rides on race days as they are usually loyal to their track riders.”
Opperman seemingly has the 2022-23 Limestone Coast apprentice’s title already wrapped up for this season and he is very much in the hunt for the senior jockey’s title also.
No Victorian jockey has ever won a Limestone Coast premiership but the Warrnambool-based Harry Grace finds himself out in front with just over four months of the season left.
Grace has ridden 13 winners, two clear of Kate Walters and three in front of Opperman, Kayla Crowther and Dominic Tourneur.
BRILLIANT CUP TRIAL
The chances of the Trevor White-trained Clever Man making it successive Mount Gambier Gold Cup wins next week soared last Friday.
In what was a stunning cup trial, Clever Man thrashed his six rivals in the lead up race, the 2067 metre BM 74 handicap at Glenburnie.
The six year old gelding made it four wins from six starts on his home track and romped home with more than three lengths to spare.
Three kilogram claiming apprentice Zoe Lloyd had her first ride on Clever Man last Friday and as fate would have it, she will retain the ride in next week’s cup.
Clever Man’s regular rider, apprentice Ben Price, was originally booked for the cup ride but a suspension by stewards last Friday will see him sidelined until after Mount Gambier Cup day.
But, it will be no beer and skittles for Clever Man to retain the cup with speculation already of a couple of handy types being entered from visiting stables.
Farooq, who beat Clever Man in Adelaide on February 11, will be hoping to give Naracoorte trainer Sue Murphy her first Mount Gambier success, while Symon Wilde is believed to have an eye on the cup with an imported Northern Hemisphere galloper.
Ride of the day last Friday went to Callan Murray on the Peter Hardacre trained Pocket Raider in the 1564 metre maiden.
In what was one of the stronger maiden plates for some time in this district, Murray managed to have Pocket Raider in the box seat from barrier 9 after going a short distance, and the race was done and dusted half way up the straight.
Mount Gambier trainers finished the program with gusto, winning the final three races.
Two of those winners were from the Wayne Walters stable and some good bets were won on his first winner Fast ‘N’ Forward ($21-$11), ridden by daughter Kate.
In what was an excellent training performance, Fast ‘N’ Forward ran home powerfully at his first run for three and a half months to register his fourth win from five Glenburnie starts over the mile journey.
Walters’ double was completed when Craiglea Blizzard ($21) improved markedly from three unplaced efforts this campaign to win the 1302 metre BM 54 handicap.
Backing up from running ninth at Edenhope four days earlier proved no problems for the Bob and Kane Post-trained Getonit ($8-$11), a half length winner of the class two handicap (1302 metres).
Black bookers from last Friday are Clever Man, the impressive maiden winner Pocket Raider and Johnny Cigar who was an eye-catching third in that same race.
HARNESS RACING TONIGHT
Local harness racing continues tonight at the Greenwald Paceway where it will be sponsor’s night.
Fortunately, there were just enough horses to constitute a meeting (six in each of the six races) and racing commences at 7.45pm.
Good support from non-regular Victorian stables, namely Margaret Lee (two runners), Matthew Horsnell (3) and Matthew Craven (3), helped save the meeting.
At Hamilton last Monday, the Greg Scholefield-owned and trained Hanging Fire showed his win at Horsham the previous week was no fluke with another win, again at double figure odds in the NR 55-66 pace over 1660 metres.
David Drury again had the drive and Hanging Fire ($17) showed early dash and was able to lead all the way from gate five.
The sour note for Drury was that stewards rubbed him out for two weeks after he pleaded guilty to causing interference by crossing down to the pegs too sharply shortly after the start.
NOW FOR THE GOLD CUP
There seems to be plenty of interest around town in regards to Mount Gambier Gold Cup day next Friday (March 31).
So much so that Mount Gambier Racing Club general manager Brett Watson is hopeful of attracting between three and four thousand people through the gate.
That would be a magnificent achievement as the last time there was a similar crowd was back in 2017 when 3,600 people attended the cup.
Since then, cup day crowds have dropped significantly due to various reasons, including Covid and the club meddling with the cup date by moving it from the traditional May date.
Cup week starts next Wednesday night with the launch party at The Henty on Jubilee Highway East from 6.30pm.
There will be a fresh look cup calcutta next Thursday night (from 8.15pm) with the new venue being the Globe Hotel.
On cup day, bus transport is available for the public from the Globe Hotel (picking up at the Gambier Hotel) and then dropping patrons back at the Globe Hotel for the after race party.
“We will keep pumping the music up on course until an hour and a half after the last race to enable people to relax and leave in an orderly fashion,” Watson stated.
“Already, 21 tables have been booked upstairs in the member’s lounge for lunch which is a positive sign.”
