Almanac (Regional) Racing: Way Out West

History made

Last Saturday night saw Heywood harness racing trainer Rebecca East and Hamilton driver Jackie Barker combine with Eastbro Chrissy to take out the 2025 Matthews Petroleum Mount Gambier Gold Cup over 2590m for local owners.

The win saw East go back to back in the Cup and win the race a second time after the win of Hez All Rock in 2024, but it was Barker’s first Mount Gambier Gold Cup win and saw history made, with her becoming the third generation in the Barker family to drive the Cup winner, after her grandfather, Jim, and father Rod won the race many times over the years.

The win was made all the sweeter with local owners also involved in Eastbro Chrissy, who proved too strong on the night for the more favoured runners Michaywey and Jensville. The Mount Gambier trained Jensville started favourite and led the race before Barker sent Eastbro Chrissy around the field from the tail to face the breeze outside the leader with two laps of the track to run. The four-year-old mare proved too strong from there to get the better of Jensville in the home straight and hold off a late challenge from the Matthew Craven trained Michaywey to win in a photo finish.

The Cup win was one of three wins on the night for East and brought up a winning double for Barker after the combination had also won earlier in the night with Famous Label.

Capping off a successful weekend, Barker then went to Charlton on Sunday where she was successful behind Im Lady Rhonda.

Harness racing returns to Hamilton next Wednesday, 26 March.

Hoodys Horse

Hamilton horse trainer Trudy Cottier heads to Terang on Friday with three runners, Dollar Bucks in Race 1, Delightful Scoop in Race 7 and Hoodys Horse in Race 8, the final event of the day.

Dollar Bucks has been consistent of late and gets his chance to break through here, whilst Hoodys Horse returns to Terang a last start winner on the course but has his fair share of weight. Delightful Scoop returns from a long lay off and is likely to need the run.

There is a very funny story behind Hoodys Horse, named after Cottier’s partner, Donald Irving. It was during Covid that Irving couldn’t involve himself in his other passion of car racing and so, at the time, Cottier was purchasing a couple of yearlings online. Irving also decided to purchase a yearling online without mentioning a word to Cottier about it. He purchased his yearling because it was in his price range, knowing nothing anything of its breeding etc. When the truck arrived to deliver Cottier’s two yearlings and a third yearling was unloaded, she advised the truck driver that he must have the wrong address as she hadn’t purchased that particular yearling. It was then the driver asked if a Donald Irving lived there. And so the story goes.

Hoodys Horse now has 4 wins from 14 starts and has form from his last preparation around the very well-performed recent multiple city winner, Revelare. And with his last win at Terang came $30,000 of Vobis bonuses in the way of a voucher which could be used to pay for certain thoroughbred industry expenses and which Cottier has since used to fund the purchase of two Hanseatic yearlings!

First up

Coleraine greyhound trainer Robert Wombwell continued his recent run of success at Mount Gambier greyhounds last Sunday when Eskimo Moana railed well from Box 2 and proved too strong for her opposition to win first up over 400m. Paying $59.20 on the TAB in Victoria, the win was obviously a blow out for most punters and took her record to 3 wins and 7 placings from 22 starts.

Jumps racing

The 2025 jumps racing season will kick off next Friday, 28 March, at Warrnambool before the Hamilton Racing Club hosts its first jumps racing meeting of the season on Sunday 6 April.

Both clubs and participants will be hoping for some much needed rain to assist provide the required soft ground for jumps racing, which was the subject of a significant review following the 2024 jumps racing season.

Three sets of jumps trials have been held to date in the lead up to the jumps season and Hamilton will also host jumps trials on Monday 7 April, following its race meeting the previous day.

A horse to follow from the trials is the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained jumper, Road Runner. The lightly raced 6-year-old gelding has been purchased from New Zealand where he won a Maiden Hurdle on heavy ground and has shown at the trials that he jumps very well and looks to have a bright future at the caper.

 

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