The Great 2022 Free Rail Travel Challenge: Part 2 – Warrnambool Grand Annual Steeplechase

 

 

Regular readers may recall my first Almanac yarn in this series (HERE) on March 31 where a Victorian seniors’ free rail travel voucher took me to the Bairnsdale Cup.

 

The challenge referred to in that piece was to estimate the furthest possible distance that could be travelled using all four of these annual old folks’ train freebees to four different Victorian racecourses for country cup meetings.

 

It was suggested that 2,000 kilometres was quite possible but not 3,000. I promptly set to work to prove otherwise.

 

For those unfamiliar with Warrnambool’s three day May racing carnival, three earlier Almanac columns provide a colourful wealth of background reading on what is undoubtedly Victoria’s finest provincial horse racing carnival.

 

Ron Reed’s column last Friday (HERE) gives a great insight not only into the details of this year’s carnival, but also some relevant history on how the carnival was very nearly permanently terminated about a decade ago.

 

John Harms’ post from 2014 (HERE) best captures ‘the vibe’ – with apologies to Denis Denuto in The Castle – of the whole Warrnambool carnival. Close your eyes and you can imagine being taken to the Dungeon Bar, the Buxton Bar, the betting ring, the old grandstand and the famous steep hill behind it where patrons leave the course to get a better view of the Grand Annual where the horses run through the nearby Brierly paddock and Granters paddock.

 

For quite a different account to both these, your author’s rather quirky Four characters in search of a racecourse from May 7, 2020 (HERE) captures the zeitgeist of Covid-19’s first innings where the carnival unfolds before empty grandstands including the newly completed extensions to the members’ stand.

 

Three friends join me on Zoom. Foxtel and TAB phone accounts are warmed up. Beers of choice are on ice. And we don’t even set foot outside our front gates.

 

But thankfully, something like normality has returned this year. V/Line’s characteristically awkward choice of time for track upgrades sees buses replacing trains last week but that doesn’t invalidate the macro nature of my challenge. The same freebee vouchers are still valid.

 

My old North Fitzroy Arms lunch companion Macca and I set off for Port Fairy on the Monday afternoon bus as, apparently, even the mangers are booked out in Warrnambool.

 

Three hours later, and the senses abruptly become reacquainted with all the familiar local autumn features – the sight and smell of Norfolk Island pines, the sounds of warbling magpies and the bracing chill of the late afternoon air on the cheeks.

 

And the anticipation in my taste buds is keen too, as I know that tomorrow I’ll renew my love affair with Chittick’s bakery. Proud Warrnambool locals insist that Chittick’s pies are regional Victoria’s best – even if they begrudgingly accept that Clarke’s pies half an hour up the road at Mortlake are respectable runners up. After many years of consuming both, it is an assessment I agree with in trumps.

 

At the track I find Chittick’s stand adjacent to all the other food and drink vendors along what my friends refer to as Diagon Alley, the busy cramped laneway in Harry Potter. Of course, this one doesn’t have wands, broomsticks, owls or goblins in the Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Not even in the ATMs.

 

Instead, as I observed in my 2020 column, ‘…you are besieged by a marvellously mixed jumble of smells – pies, tomato sauce, chips, pizzas, dim sum, coffee, hot dogs, tacos, Vietnamese noodles, more chips, beer, baked potatoes with sauerkraut and a new Indian stall with its intoxicating aroma of spices.’

 

So quite apart from the plentiful action on the track – think here, 30 races over three days with the excitement of the many close finishes this year being one of the highlights – there is a relaxed carnival atmosphere around the rest of the course. And that’s even before you start working your way around the seven bars where most punters bounce the ball well before normal beer o’clock time.

 

Tuesday’s feature race the Brierly Steeple is won by the Symon Wilde trained Vanguard. On Wednesday, the two features are the Galleywood Hurdle and the Listed Wangoom Handicap aka the Newmarket of the bush.

 

Top jumps rider Steven Pateman piloted Saunter Boy to a narrow victory in the former, while in the latter, young apprentice jockey Madison Lloyd landed the biggest winner of her career to date booting home noted wet tracker Frankie Pinot at $12.

 

Two heavy but brief showers of rain send Wednesday’s crowd scurrying for shelter but otherwise the weather is cool but dry throughout.

 

By Thursday our group has grown to five for the Grand Annual and the Warrnambool Cup.

 

‘Hey I know!’ the shout goes up.

 

‘Why don’t we put in $20 each and try to jag the quaddie?’ suggests one of our new guests.

 

‘Well, Don Quixote tried something like it with windmills so this proposition couldn’t be too much harder,’ another sardonically observes.

 

Four races later and, joy of joy, our quaddie duly salutes. But it proves to be a Pyrrhic victory as our $100 outlay returns $67. One $20 share is now worth $13.40.

 

As Mr Micawber observes in David Copperfield, ‘…annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.’

 

Be that as it may, at least we have bragging rights having included winners Heberite in the Annual and Witchachar Star in the Cup (thanks for the tip on 3YB Thursday morning Bill Wilde) in two of the legs.

 

As the dust settles the following day, my second free voucher gets me home to Geelong adding 374 kilometres to the 710 kilometres for the Bairnsdale trip.

 

Astute readers will no doubt raise an eyebrow that the combined 1,084 kilometres at the half way point of this challenge is only 36.1% of the required 3,000.

 

But fear not dear readers. Just like Roald Dahl’s key protagonist in The Enormous Crocodile, I have ‘secret plans and clever tricks’ up my sleeve.

 

The third part of this challenge next month sees me head to Swan Hill for their three day cup carnival on the Queen’s birthday long weekend.

 

I’ve never been there before and the last two have been crowd free because of pandemic protocols. I shall prepare a wall chart with 32 big sleeps and cross them off over the next few weeks.

 

You are all most welcome to come back in mid June and see how successfully my ‘secret plans and clever tricks’ turn out!

 

 

Studying the form at the mounting yard with the “new” members’ stand in the background. [Source: Author]

 

The Alfred Road fence where the horses leave the course proper, cross Alfred Road and run through Brierly Paddock. The three fences in Brierly can be seen in the background at the top of screen. [Source: Author]

 

 

Chittick’s pies – regional Victoria’s finest. [Source: Author]

 

 

Hungry punters line up for lunch down Diagon Alley. [Source: Author]

 

 

Oh dear, a $100 ticket becomes a $67 ticket. Mr Micawber would not approve… [Source: Author]

 

At the barrier for the Warrnambool Cup. Wait a minute, this horse doesn’t have a number! [Source: Author]

 

 

Omnia bona advenium ad terminus.

 

 

Read more from Roger Lowrey HERE

 

 

 

To return to the www.footyalmanac.com.au  home page click HERE

 

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?
And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help keep things ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE

One-off financial contribution – CLICK HERE

Regular financial contribution (monthly EFT) – CLICK HERE

 

 

 

 

About Roger Lowrey

Roger Lowrey is a Geelong based writer who lists his special interests as reading, writing, horse racing, Roman history and AEC electoral boundaries. Some of his friends think he is a little eccentric.

Comments

  1. Enjoying these enormously RDL. Your punting at the Bool mirrored mine on Saturday as I displayed an uncanny skill in picking horses which ran 4th.

    The Enormous Crocodile came up recently at work. Due to copyright issues my colleagues were unable to use the story so I was approached to write one that explored similar themes to which I replied, ‘If I could write like Roald Dahl do you think I’d be sat here talking to you?’

    Thanks RDL. Looking forward to the Swan Hill report!

  2. Another excellent adventure, RDL.

    I have never been to the Bool carnival. Very jealous.

  3. Roger Lowrey says

    Many thanks for your kind comments Mickey.

    As a parent reading bedtime stories, The Enormous Crocodile was one that not only captured my children’s imagination but mine as well. How do these writers do stuff like this? I take my hat off to them but welcome the more familiar level playing field of our writing comrades in the Almanac!

    And BTW Smokie, you have already been granted a “captain’s pick” (ah, that would be mine comrade) entry into our mischief next year.

    Now come on mate. Newport is kinda on the way. We can organise the rest.

    RDL

  4. Love these.

    Capturing the richness of a time-honoured carnival. A special three days.

    PS Observing the evolution of your punting approach I reckon you are on the cusp of becoming a trader – the only way to win.

  5. Riverina Rocket says

    Marvellous read!

    Your piece evokes all the smells and sounds of the track

Leave a Comment

*