Local punters were laughing all the way to the bank with results going their way while the children’s amusements were full of smiling faces at Inverell Jockey Club family race day on Saturday.
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Mr Malu, the horse that was literally ‘given’ to the current connections after frustrating the previous owner and trainer, scored his fourth win since the change of stables winning the Topbuild Handicap.
Excited part owner Bobby Farrell was ‘over the moon’ with the job trainer Leon Cross has done with the horse and the fun the syndicate have had in the last few months.
“We’ll be back next meeting to win the Diggers Cup” Farrell said has he enjoyed a beer after the presentation.
Leon Cross has the choice of stepping the horse up to the 1800 metres of the Diggers Cup at Inverell on 24 November or starting in the $20,000 Don Bartlett Memorial Battlers Cup on the same day run over 1400 metres, the same distance as Saturday’s win.
The biggest cheer of the day came when Todd Payne’s Newcastle Dancer held off Sarah Gaffaney’s Col’s Tiger and a wave of horses charging home to win the Thomas Davis Brown Handicap. Newcastle Dancer has raced well throughout the winter and been placed in his last four runs before Saturday’s well deserved win in class record time.
The win bought up a ‘dancing double’ for veteran jockey Geoff Snowden after winning the first race, the MacIntyre Gas Maiden, on Blinkin’ Dancing trained by Stephen Dixon now based at Tamworth.
Punters following names might have had a good day with Blinkin’ Fantastic also making it a ‘blinkin’ double’ in the Vivier Boutique/Suttons Insurance Maiden.
There were also cheers in the betting ring for the metropolitan races when Mishani Stealth trained by Shane Edmonds won a $40,000 race at Newcastle at the good odds of $8 and earlier in the day Tamworth trained The Lion won at Randwick at $14 with lots of local support.
The big crowd enjoyed the beautiful weather with pony rides, climbing wall, merry-go-round and many other free amusements for the children and fashions in the field for all ages. The entertainment was organized by the Holy Trinity School P & F Committee to celebrate the draw of their art union which was won by the Irwin Family.
Racing returns to Inverell on 24 November with the club hosting businesses and groups having their Xmas parties, the RSL sub-branch members for the Diggers Cup, the Picnic Race Club members in their marquee and a variety of visiting owners of horses trying to win the second running of the Battler’s Cup restricted to horses that have competed in the surrounding one day club meetings.
