HORSERACING
By LIAM DURKIN
“Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show must go on!”
– Donald O’Connor from the 1952 film Singin’ in the Rain.
THE weather couldn’t stop festivities on Moe Cup day – nor was it every going to.
Moe Racing Club had contingencies in place to deal with adverse conditions, and saw a strong crowd make its way to enjoy an afternoon at the races.
Victorian spring weather of the highest order saw the proverbial four seasons in one day, with patrons reaching for umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain one hour, and then using the same umbrella to keep the sun off their skin the next.
Truthfully, it was actually quite warm when the sun poked its head through the clouds.
As he usually does when calling a race, Adam Olszanski was accurate in his summation that it had been a “successful but testing” Moe Cup day over the loudspeaker.
Marquees were in full swing during the meeting, as was the Hillside Pavilion.
Racing presentations were made indoors to winning connections, making for more comfortable photo opportunities.
Community was again at the heart of a Moe Racing Club meeting, with local hospitality providers booked to feed the masses.
The hustle and bustle of the betting ring attracted a crowd, which was also the location for fashions on the field.
Fashion judges Kim McFarlane and Jess Mylne were joined on the panel by Gippsland musician Mick Harrington (runner-up on The Voice in 2021), who made their verdicts.
Hayleigh Hocking (from Baxter) and Whitney Nolan (Greensborough) were acknowledged for their outstanding headwear, while locals Priscilla Giardina (Traralgon) and Breanne Beatson (Moe) took the honours in best dressed ladies stakes.
Moe local Graeme Martin was runner-up in best dressed male, won by Richmond’s Michael McAlpine.
McAlpine wore a striped jacket with bowtie, complemented by a red flat cap.
He said the stripes represent the jockeys, which “brings it back to the horse races themselves.”
IF your last name is Bedggood, you are generally pretty good at sport.
In the same year Daniel Bedggood broke the senior games record for Maffra Football-Netball Club, and Sam Bedggood coached Boisdale-Briagolong to a premiership, another trophy carrying the Bedggood name was secured last Friday.
The Gavin Bedggood-trained Keats did it easy in the Moe Cup, cruising to victory by five lengths.
The eight-year-old gelding led from virtually start to finish, breaking clear with 400 metres to go.
“He burns around the bend railed like a greyhound!” was how race caller Adam Olszanski beautifully described the moment Keats put the afterburners on.
With 23-year-old jockey Celine Gaudray in the saddle, she put in a masterful ride on a Heavy 8 over 2050 metres.
Settling into the front early, Keats rolled with no opposition within eyesight after the first bend, maintaining a steady pace until crossing the line.
Bedggood described Gaudray’s ride as “absolute perfection”, adding it was as good as Keats had ever ran in its nine wins to date.
Keats had shown decent form on heavy tracks in recent weeks, running fourth on a saturated Flemington last month.
The jump in distance from 1700m to 2050m seemingly made little difference, other than to give Keats more space between himself and the rest of the field.
Last year’s Moe Cup-winning jockey Craig Newitt had to settle for third on board Sir Rockford, while Sunsets for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young were best of the rest.
Unfortunately, heavy rains reduced the cup field to six riders, after three late scratchings.
Transport issues played havoc, with outbound lanes on the Monash Freeway closed due to flooding.
Nonetheless, Moe was still able to complete a nine race-card meeting, and good fields and prominent names were seen throughout the day.
Luke Nolen and Peter Moody, of Black Caviar fame, had horses on Moe Cup day.
Nolen had to contend with three seconds, while Moody claimed a win and two placings.
His four-year-old mare Alma Rise won the Race 5 Moe Optical ‘Royal Snack’ Handicap (2050m), and narrowly missed victory in the Race 9 TRFM Handicap (1600m) after Farewell To Eire was edged out by the Ciaron Maher-trained Igotcha by a head.
Maher had earlier won the Race 2 Ian Grants Caravans Maiden Plate (1100m), with Point Be winning by a length.
The calibre of trainers coming to Moe cannot be understated. That is the same Maher who won the Caulfield Cup and The Everest at Randwick last Saturday, pocketing a cool $20 million in the process.
More locally, the Moe stable of Peter Gelagotis came third in the Race 4 Nextra Moe Handicap (1000m), when Extremely Rowdy ran well against Tax Free Prophet, ridden by Trafalgar jockey Jason Maskiell, and winner Trapeze Warrior for Phillip Stokes.
Jockey Beau Mertens, son of the late, great Peter Mertens, who was dubbed the ‘King of Gippsland’, came second in the Race 6 Bottlemart Moe Handicap (1600m), which was won by Nation’s Call for Robbie Griffiths and Matt de Kock.
Other winners were She Nailed It in the Race 1 TM&H Mitre 10 Maiden Plate over 1600m, Jennyanydots (Race 3 Clearview Radiology Maiden Plate, 1100m) and Flying Mikki (Race 7 Harcourts Collective Handicap, 1200m).
Next stop on the Gippsland circuit is the Sale Cup this Sunday, October 27.
IN some ways, it was a good thing rain fell on Moe Cup day 2024.
While sunshine was followed by heavy rain later in the afternoon, all in attendance were kept dry thanks to the recently upgraded race day facility.
The facility provided two modern function rooms upstairs, while downstairs, members were also able to watch racing sheltered from the elements.
As part of the facility upgrade, opened by Minister for Racing Anthony Carbines last month, new jockey’s rooms were also included in the refurbishment.
Provisions were made to give female jockey’s proper changerooms, and it was perhaps most fitting that Celine Gaudray ended up riding the winner of the Moe Cup.
In his lunchtime address, guests heard from Moe Racing Club Chairman Mike Vanderfeen, who highlighted a number of positives for the club.
“(This is the) first real time that we can showcase this new building, which has been completely remodelled upstairs and downstairs,” he said.
“Last year we had 987 full racing members, this year because of these modernised facilities, we aim to pass 1000.
“It’s a matter of trying to build our racing product.”
Vanderfeen said next on the to-do list was extending the Hillside Pavilion, which Moe Racing Club has intentions of doubling in size.