October
MayBest ever
Jumps racing is back! This was the best Warrnambool carnival I’ve seen, and I started when So And So won the 1978 Grand Annual.
Punters were keen, with large, competitive fields and each-way betting on every jumps race.
There were a few harmless tumbles on the first two days, but all completed the course on the final day.
The Tuesday saw three competitive divisions of the $20,000 maiden hurdle, plus the $100,000 Brierly chase won by Thubiaan.
In the Wednesday’s $100,000 Galleywood Hurdle, the new 2kg higher top weight aided the minimum-weighters to fight out the finish, with Stand to Gain prevailing. Surely this will tempt owners to have a crack at the big money set-weights-with-penalties races, instead of being scared off by a couple of good horses.
Thursday’s new race, the $50,000 Champion Novice Hurdle — won by About the Journey — worked well in its inaugural year and can only get bigger and better.
Regina Coeli (half-sister to dual Grand Annual winner Al Garhood) won the 5500-metre, $250,000 Grand Annual. It was an intriguing race — six chances on the home turn, with three still in contention half way down the straight.
Awesome carnival but I have a couple of suggestions for improvement. I would like to see a $20,000 restricted 3450-metre chase added to the Wednesday card, for the battlers not up to Brierly standard and to give the jumps jockeys a second riding fee for the day.
Also if the ’Bool moved its annual carnival forward a week, it might beat the rain.
After the success of Oakbank’s recent Easter meet, and now probably the best ever Warrnambool carnival, jumps racing is obviously back. Surely South Australia wouldn’t seriously consider ending the sport.
Gold Coast (Qld)