Golden West Club Is Hungry For Success

Sun Herald

Sunday April 2, 2006

By TONY WHITE, tonywhite@vtown.com.au

THE planning and endeavours of a race-day committee and the Golden West Racing Club board look set to pay dividends at Orange tomorrow.

The eight-race meeting, featuring the inaugural $20,000 Colour City Cup (1400 metres), coincides with the annual Food Of Orange District Week, an event that draws thousands of people to the regional centre.

After months of negotiations with the local council, it elected to extend Food Week by one day to include the TAB race meeting.

Accommodation in Orange is almost totally booked out and race club officials are hoping many of the visitors stay on for the meeting.

The fields are outstanding and there are capacity numbers in most races. The Colour City Cup has a nine-horse field headed by topweight Salgado from the Garry White stables at Hawkesbury. Local hope is Andrew Wardle's Blow Bubbles and the in-form Agua Corriendo is the likely favourite.

Thousands at Albury A RECORD crowd of more than 19,000 last Friday was testimony to the popularity of the 125th Albury Gold Cup meeting. Turnover figures were also extremely healthy.

Chief executive John Miller is now aiming to attract 20,000 people and raise the value of the cup from $100,000 to $150,000 in the next three years.

There was emotion galore on cup day, particularly for John Ledger, who saddled up Havana Nights to win the inaugural $25,000 Adrian Ledger Memorial (2400m). The race is in honour of Ledger's son Adrian, who died in a race fall at Corowa last year.

Ledger believes three-year-old filly Havana Nights could develop into an Oaks contender.

Melbourne visitor Above Deck was a popular winner of the Albury Gold Cup (2000m) after starting a well-tried favourite.

Locals weren't left out of the picture. Jockeys Peter Robl and Nick Souquet, who are firmly established after moving from Corowa to Albury a couple of months ago, dominated.

Robl rode five winners in two days, including four winners on cup day. Souquet rode a treble on the first day of the carnival and one winner on cup day.

Wodonga's Brian Cox was the leading trainer.

Dale dashes ahead MATTHEW Dale has hit the front in the Queanbeyan trainers' premiership after a recent double at the track.

Dale now leads the premiership narrowly from Miffy Rae. Dale scored with Smarter Martyr and Just Ned, which is part-owned by Queanbeyan Racing Club committee member Kevin Mitchell.

The jockeys' premiership is looking like a cakewalk for 2005 winner Jeff Penza, who led the way with a double on Brisk Crown for trainer Brett Rosen from Young, and Mama See for Barbara Joseph.

The feature Hellenic Cup was a triumph for Queanbeyan trainer Danielle Jacklin with Read The Book, which has now scored four wins and finished a second from five starts over the track and distance.

Read The Book may contest the Bungendore Cup at Queanbeyan on Saturday and is also being aimed at the Queanbeyan Cup on May 21 with Protective Custody, Gemrun and 2005 cup winner Winkurra.

Gundagai on rise THE $20,000 Gundagai Cup (1800m) today has attracted a good line-up with increased prizemoney levels.

A total of $52,000 and $35,000 in Breeder Owner Bonus Scheme funds will be on offer at the meeting.

The Gundagai Cup is just one of the feature meetings run by the Gundagai-Adelong Race Club and is second in stature only to the Snake Gully Cup run in November each year.

A gourmet's haven SHOALHAVEN City Council will host the Galloping Gourmet Race Day on Easter Sunday, April 16, at Nowra.

To add to race-day activities, local wineries will be displaying and selling their wines on site. Food stalls will also be on hand.

Ryan digs deep CHAMPION jockey Greg Ryan rode a winning treble at the Wellington Cup meeting, including Coalminer in the feature $20,000 Wellington Cup (1700m) last Sunday.

Ryan's other winners were Desert Romance and True Zip.

The Bill Farrow-trained Coalminer defeated Zedivain and Can You Dance.

Ryan's form carried over to Wellington Boot day, when he rode a treble aboard Phan, Strand Diva and Shepishir.

Sydney trainer Graeme Rogerson and Jay Ford, the regular rider of England-bound sprint sensation Takeover Target, combined to win the $35,000 Wellington Boot with He's No Pie Eater.

Rodney Northam narrowly missed a big win when Anavila was beaten by a half head and Gai Waterhouse's Buzzy Henry was third in the feature.

Keep an eye on . . . IMPORTANT meetings to watch out for this week include the Southern Districts Cup at Cootamundra, the Mornington Prelude Handicap at Gunnedah, the Bungendore Cup at Queanbeyan, the Golden Fleece at Warren and the Young Cup.

They're racing

TAB meetings: Today - Gundagai; Tomorrow - Cessnock and Orange; Tuesday - Port Macquarie; Friday - Grafton, Goulburn; Saturday - Taree. Non-TAB meetings: Friday - Cootamundra; Saturday, Gunnedah, Queanbeyan, Warren and Young.

Stable secrets

SIX STITCHER: On the ball. INNINGS: Will win outright. HIGH HORSE: Cut above the rest.

© 2006 Sun Herald

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