Above: Cranbourne trackwork rider Chris Symons piloted Linton Street to victory in race three.By Brad Kingsbury
CRANBOURNE trainers Robbie Laing and Mark Webb celebrated the Melbourne Cup spirit early on Tuesday, saddling the first two winners on the 10-race Flemington program.
Laing’s promising two year-old filly She’s Got Gears stormed home down the middle of the track to snatch a thrilling victory in the opening event over 1000 metres.
Ridden patiently by locally raised jockey Craig Williams, She’s Got Gears was having its first start in a race and paid $12.20 for a win on the TAB.
Another Cranbourne galloper, Riverina Girl, prepared by Nicki Burke and ridden by her partner Mark Flaherty, started as favourite and led the race but died on its run near the winning post and finished fourth.
Webb’s win in the second race with his emerging young staying mare Avienus was a popular result for a group of locally based owners who made up the ‘Beauty Mate’ syndicate.
The four year-old provided jockey Kane Bradley with his first winner at Flemington and proved too smart for her rivals over the 1700-metre course, starting at the 8-1.
Webb was thrilled with Bradley’s effort to beat the star city riders.
“I said to Kane to go out and ride her like a $2 favourite and she would win. That’s exactly what he did,” he said.
“You have to give the young (riders) confidence because they are against the big boys but he timed the run perfectly.”
He holds his new stable star, which he paid $20,000 for as a broken but unraced prospect, in high regard and will aim higher with her next year.
“The plan was always to come to the carnival with her this week and we were lucky to get in to the field in the end.”
“She’ll either have one more run on Sandown Classic day or go to the paddock. Then we’ll set her for the Caulfield Cup next year I think,” she said.
Webb added that the result of the opening races was great for Cranbourne and acknowledged the district as a serious player during the year’s showcase week of racing.
Other Cranbourne trainers including Mick Kent, Greg Eurell, Robbie Griffiths, Rod Douglas, Barry Barnes, Ken Keys, Pat Hyland and his son Matthew also saddled horses on the Melbourne Cup program, but Kent was the only one to earn any prize money when roughie All Cheval hung on to record a minor placing in the ninth event.
The main race, the $5.5 million Emirates Melbourne Cup, was won by Mark Kavanagh’s star galloper Shocking, ridden by Corey Brown in front of a crowd of more than 102,000 on a dead (4)-rated track.
Kiwi hopes Gallions Reach and Spin Around, both based at Cranbourne during their preparations, finished 13th and 20th respectively.
Cranbourne jockeys Craig Newitt and Craig Williams finished 5th and 14th aboard Harris Tweed and Leica Ding.
