THE Melbourne Cup, The Kosciuszko, Rusty Motorbike, and Lily Peters were the major winners at the recent 60th anniversary of the Louth Cup races. Around 6230 people descended upon the far-western town for its annual races and events series bringing some smiles and joyous relief to the wide spread locals who live in the drought-stricken region.
Ridden by Michael Hackett, Rusty Motorbike was prepared by Nyngan conditioner Rodney Robb to win the $24,000 Landmark Walsh Hughes and Landmark Russell Dermot Murray Memorial Louth Cup, a race that the gelding also won two years earlier.
The Encosta de Lago nine-year-old just lasted from the fast finishing Bernardini gelding Zartini, prepared by Condobolin trainer Mark Ward.
His horse may have had to settle for second in the hotly contested Cup, however Mark’s daughter Lily Peters, a dentist in Condobolin, took out the Randwick-like Myer Dubbo Fashions On The Field.
People from several western communities, which included the Louth Public School, the Louth races, and nearby Dunlop Station, were delighted to see and have their photos taken with the 2018 $200,000 Melbourne Cup trophy, which was on tour to the region. Its ambassador was dual Melbourne Cup winning hoop Johnny Letts (won on Piping Lane in 1972 and Beldale Ball in 1980).
Massive news of Racing NSW’s newly announced $1.3 million race at Randwick - The Kosciuszko, an event restricted to country trained gallopers, was also a talking point during my visit to Louth.
“I think it’s a great idea; but with the fine details still a bit of an issue of which quality horses are allowed in, and which are not,” said Wagga Wagga conditioner Chris Heywood.
“I’ve got a smoky, but I have to produce him before then to make him stand out; but I am not going to mention any names just yet.”
Muswellbrook trainer Joe Boland said “great for country racing”.
“It will encourage trainers to stay on (training), that may otherwise have dropped out of racing,” said Joe.
In another announcement of the first $1m greyhound race, combined with recent country racing prizemoney increases was another conversation topic. This makes more industry people happy including President of the Dubbo Greyhound Club and long-time western region bookmaker Shayne Stiff.
“Any racing code you are in that has increases in prizemoney is better for the industry; it creates more breeding, more ownership, and if there is big money there – everyone wants to win it,” said Shayne.
Many firsts for Taree Cup
FROM one side of the state to the other for the first running of the $80,000 Stacks Law Firm Taree Cup under the Manning Valley Race Club banner – the combination of the Krambach and Taree Race Clubs, and which a good crowd attended the Taree meet last Sunday.
“It is the first (Taree) Cup to be won (by a person) south of Wyong over the past 20 years,” said Manning Valley Race Club chairman Greg Coleman after the race.
Teofilo gelding Shalmaneser won the race to give his Rosehill conditioner Richard Freedman and Sydney owner David Zomaya their first Taree Cup win. It was also the first Taree Cup victory for the eight-year-old’s champion apprentice Andrew Adkins. According to Shalmaneser’s owner, the horse had his first two starts at Taree and also raced at Dubbo and Quirindi.
About to turn 80 was Gladstone trainer Peter Ball and together with daughter Gaye, were emotional to win the Country Maiden Showcase Plate with Ted’s Dream, a four-year-old by Tie The Knot’s half-brother Dream Ballad. Ted’s Dream was named after recently deceased Ted Winkler of Aldavilla west of Kempsey and was bred and is raced by several of his family members including son Mark.
Any racing code you are in that has increases in prizemoney is better for the industry.
- Shayne Stiff
