David Gilbert
A DECISION last year by the Mount Gambier Racing Club to move the distance of the Mount Gambier Cup from 2400 metres back to 2050 metres has already proven to be a winning move.
Prior to that, the cup had been run over the one-and-a-half miles for as long as anyone could remember, but it had reached the stage where the race had lost its way.
Field numbers had dwindled and the quality of the horses competing was such that some of the older generation on occasions were referring to the Mount Gambier Cup as “a jumper’s flat” – for jumping horses or horses preparing for a jumping career.
In 2017 there were nine starters and only six horses faced the starter in 2019 when it was the last time it was run over 2400 metres as the cup was not run in 2020 and 2021.
Last year it attracted 13 runners and was won by the local galloper Clever Man (30/1), beating the Horsham visitor Killourney and another local Sebonna.
Today, there are 12 final acceptors, with Farooq heading the weights, while the track specialist Clever Man is endeavouring to make it back-to-back cups.
Adding plenty of spice to the cup are the two Symon Wilde (Warrnambool) trained gallopers Extra Elusive (ex Great Britain) and Jack Knows Best (ex New Zealand), both of whom have credible form back in their home countries.
Cup selections: 1 Clever Man (each way); 2 Extra Elusive; 3 Jack Knows Best 3.
Best bet on a tough program is Johnny Cigar on an each way basis in the 1800-metre maiden.
TWO CUPS IN THREE DAYS
EARLIER this month we had a successful Mount Gambier Gold Cup for harness racing and it steps up a gear this weekend with two cups in three days.
After today’s $55,000 Mount Gambier Gold Cup for the gallops out at Glenburnie, the focus moves to Lake Terrace East on Sunday with the $36,000 Mount Gambier Cup for the greyhounds.
Greyhound club general manager Mark Dwyer and his band of workers will make you more than welcome for the club’s biggest day of the year and the boxes for the cup will fly open at 2.37pm.
It is free entry for the public with plenty of activities for the kids including a jumping castle and face paintings.
WINNING THE CLOSE PHOTOS
ONE would think Springfield Affair must know exactly where the winning post is.
The Kevin Von Duve trained pacer got the judge’s nod by the barest possible margin in the Mount Gambier Gold Cup earlier this month and did so again at Globe Derby Park last Saturday night.
Once again Springfield Affair came from behind to get up and win the NR 69 pace by a short half head for claiming driver Samantha Pascoe.
While Springfield Affair was a 150/1 chance in winning our cup, much lesser odds were on offer ($4.60) for his Adelaide victory.
Here at the Greenwald Paceway last Friday night, drivers Jackie Barker and Jayson Finnis shared the night’s honours with doubles each.
After Victorian stables won the opening two races, local trainers rebounded to win the remaining four events.
Trainer Steve Fennell won his first local race this year with a newcomer to his stable when Majorholenmypocket ($2.90) led all the way for Finnis in the maiden pace.
For Brent Howard, it was a memorable night as the win by Auckland Miss ($2.50-$3.40) in the NR 40 pace gave him his first winner as a trainer and it completed the double for Finnis with an easy nine-metre win.
Easily the best quality race of the night was the NR 47-55 pace which saw the Alyce Finnis trained Art Jester ($2.90-$2.20 fav.) get up in the last few strides to down Martin Magic by a head.
After two good efforts in western Victoria of late, the Greg Howard trained Sea Flyer ($3.90-$5.30) deservedly broke through to take out the NR 41-45 pace after driver Mark Phillips used the sprint lane to his advantage.
HOLIDAY HARD TO JUSTIFY
I find it very hard to understand how Adelaide cup day remains a public holiday here in South Australia.
Yes, I am a keen racing person but surely the state government must be pondering the future of retaining the Adelaide Cup as a public holiday in early March.
It was reported less than 7,000 people bothered to go to Morphettville racecourse for this year’s edition of the Adelaide Cup on March 13, a far cry from the 25-30,000 that used to regularly pack Morphettville.
When you consider there are around a million people living in and around Adelaide, to get such a small percentage of its population to go to the races on a public holiday is rather embarrassing, to say the least.
They get more than 7,000 at Hindmarsh stadium for a normal home game for the Adelaide United soccer team.
Perhaps the public holiday should be for the Fringe festival in Adelaide, also in March, which recorded ticket sales of around a million this month.
If the public holiday has to be for a race meeting, obviously Melbourne cup day in November is a more logical choice as that is an iconic race which is recognised and enjoyed Australia wide.
GOOD FRIDAY TROTS
STAWELL at Easter time is always hectic and this year it is about to get even busier.
The town near the Grampians has been renowned Australia wide for its famous Stawell Gift meeting for athletes with the heats on Easter Saturday and the final on Easter Monday.
Just over 20 years ago, the Stawell Racing Club got in on the act by moving Stawell cup day to Easter Sunday.
It has been a resounding success ever since and it attracts the biggest crowd of the year for Wimmera racing.
Now, another sporting club in Stawell is branching out by being the first harness racing club in Victoria to race on Easter Friday.
Throw in the Great Western rodeo on the same day, just up the road from Stawell and that means four continuous days of sport for the Stawell and district community next weekend.
Closer to home, upcoming Easter sport is somewhat quieter, but the very popular Easter Sunday race meeting at Penola (Penola cup day) is on for the 23rd consecutive year.
There were some murmurings when the Penola club decided to test the waters and be the first South Australian club to race on Easter Sunday way back in 2001, but it was the best move the club ever made.
Prior to that, Penola cup day had been for some years a mid-week meeting on a Thursday in March with no fanfare and little atmosphere and prior to that it was a non-TAB meeting on Easter Monday.
The Penola club made Easter Sunday into a family race day with plenty for the younger generation (kids races and a visit from the Easter bunny, etc.) and it has been a runaway success ever since.
YENDALL WAS THE FIRST
ON the ball readers were quick to point out an error in last week’s column when we stated that no Victorian jockey had ever won a Limestone Coast premiership.
Quite wrong.
One reader even rang from a town on the Victorian-New South Wales border to point out that Dean Yendall won it way back in 2002/03 and another reader was quick to mention that Holly McKechnie won it in 2011/12 and 2014/15.
Both Yendall and McKechnie are Horsham based and while Yendall continues to boot home winners all over Victoria, McKechnie has retired from the saddle and is now a trainer.
