Big day out for the locals

By Brad Kingsbury
CRANBOURNE trainers starred during the first Sunday Cup meeting, taking home major prize cheques from six of the 10 races contested including the $156,000 Brown’s Sawdust and Shavings Cranbourne Cup, won by Blue Collar Jack.
Popular local trainer Ken Keys headed the list of locally based mentors to taste success in front of a big crowd on an afternoon later branded a major success by Cranbourne Turf Club officials.
The first four races were taken out by Cranbourne trained horses, followed by Keys’ win in the cup (race eight) and another local victory in the ninth race.
The final event, named in honour of former long-serving club chief executive Yvonne Blackwood and won by Mornington galloper Helium, completed a great day’s racing which Ms Blackwood acknowledged during her presentation address.
“To have this sort of honour is wonderful really,” she said.
“My association with Cranbourne will always be very close and to see such a successful day on the first Sunday cup meeting is a credit to all involved.”
The first race was a family affair won by Matthew Hyland’s classy colt Tully Storm, ridden perfectly by his younger brother Sam.
That was followed by a slashing win in the second event by Ray Cleaver’s first starter Charimanoftheboard, piloted by top highweight jockey Nash Rawiller.
Rawiller said that he had struck a little trouble early in the race, but the horse had responded well to his urging in the straight.
Cleaver said he thought that Chairmanoftheboard had the potential to win at city level with time.
“It’s his first time at the races and the run was very good,” he said. “I’ve got an opinion of him, especially after that run but we haven’t planned past this race as yet.”
Local horse punters continued to build their banks after Doug Harrison’s well-supported four-year old gelding Northern Dan triumphed in the third race.
“I expected him to win,” said Harrison after the race.
“It was a great run first-up at Bendigo in a Showcase race and this was a good race for him. He has always shown that he can get to the line and I think he has a bright future as a stayer.
“There’s some nice races over the country cups carnival so we’ll try to pick the right one for him,” he said.
The ladies then got into the act with Jean Purcell and Wendy Kelly preparing the other two Cranbourne winners on the day.
Ms Purcell saddled race four victor M’Lady Tess ridden by apprentice Nicholas Hall, but said that she had given the horse’s chances away in the run.
“We were expecting her to get back, but not quite that far,” she said afterwards. “I put my glasses down half way through the race but I picked them up again in down the straight when all of a sudden she was going to be in it.
“There’s not much of her but she’s very tough and there could be a bit more distance in her with some time,” Ms Purcell said.
The win of Bon Hoffa, ridden by Nar Nar Goon jockey Vlad Duric for Ms Kelly in the ninth race, topped off a great day for the locals.
“He relaxes and he’s starting to look for a bit more ground now. He really let go when Vlad asked him and once he got his footing in the straight he did the job,” she said.
“He’s just a class horse and we will sit down with the owners and map out a plan, but his goal is one of the races on Oaks day.”