HORSE RACING
By LIAM DURKIN
SAFETY first.
The Latrobe Valley Racing Club still got its Derby Day meeting away at the weekend.
Unfortunately though, three of the scheduled seven races did not go ahead.
Races four to six were abandoned, after stewards inspected a section of the Glenview Park, Traralgon track after Race 3.
The meeting started on a Soft 5, but was downgraded to a Soft 6 for Race 3.
In that race, a couple of horses slipped around the 1200 metre mark.
While the section of grass was minimal, the duty of care for horses and jockeys was paramount.
As was rightly pointed out, had the meeting gone ahead uninterrupted and an injury occurred, a host of people would have had their heads on the chopping block.
There was some saving grace, with the meeting not called to a complete stop. Race 7 was able to be staged, as its 1100m distance meant horses were not required to run over the potentially dangerous area.
Still, the sense that Latrobe Valley Racing Club must be cursed was hard to ignore.
Saturday’s modified meeting meant it was the third time in four years a Latrobe Valley Racing Club meeting was impacted.
Derby Day 2023 was abandoned due to weather, as was the 2024 Traralgon Cup.
Adding to the cruel irony, the rain that ultimately derailed Saturday’s meeting was initially thought to be a blessing.
Five millimetres saved the club a costly water bill, but came with a caveat later in the day.
Latrobe Valley Racing Club Chairman, Frank Bezzina struck an incredibly sombre figure walking the track after the decision was made.
He has put on a brave face after many no doubt sleepless nights over the last few years. The latest setback was perhaps the hardest, given it was nothing more than genuine bad luck.
For a club run entirely by volunteers, and which hosts just two race meetings a year, they are surely due for a change in fortune.
One incident however does not make a whole meeting, and there was still much to celebrate.
Prominent Australian race caller Ric McIntosh made his Traralgon debut.
“There is some good news to come out of the bad,” he announced over the PA.
“Enjoy the Group 1 racing and we’ll see you at 5.15pm.”
He was referring to Group 1 racing in Melbourne, and the time of the seventh and last race at Traralgon.
Those watching city races on the big screen from inside the function rooms at Latrobe Valley Racing Club would have arguably been none the wiser that the local races were compromised.
Both upstairs dining rooms at Latrobe Valley Racing Club were packed, and racegoers enjoyed the hospitality on offer.
The head chef was a familiar face – none other than former Moe Racing Club Chief Executive, Shane Berry.
Gippsland racing is a united front, and clubs often share resources to help each other out. Berry answered an SOS from Bezzina to look after catering.
Live music in both rooms had patrons dancing by meeting’s end, and some even took over the microphone for some Taylor Swift karaoke.
A short distance away, others made use of the marquee that saw a DJ pumping tunes and content creation from inside a photo box.
A modern trend, the box has overtaken the photo booth, and sees people stepping into an enclosure still allowing photos to be taken in full view from the outside.
Much as Group 1 runners were in Melbourne, there was still horses trained by Group 1 trainers in Traralgon.
Peter Moody took three-year-old gelding Pinazaki to the Latrobe Valley. It came second in the Race 1 Latrobe City Maiden Plate over 1430 metres, losing narrowly to Castelli Aria for Enver Jusufovic.
The Mick Price-trained Satoshi was a runaway winner in the Race 2 Morwell Bowling Club Maiden Plate (1100m), while Top Liner put in a similar performance for Alex Rae in the Race 3 WIN Television Gippsland Maiden Plate (1900m).
Sale trainers Brenda McPhan, Reg Manning and Damien Walkley featured heavily in the Race 7 bet365 Same Race Multi 0-56 Handicap (1100m).
Five-year-old gelding Bleak Mid Winter won for McPhan, getting home by a length from Manning’s Irresistible Sir. Diamond Mila, ridden by Trafalgar jockey Jason Maskiell, did well to come fourth for Walkley given its $16 starting price.
Ultimately, Derby Day 2026 will still go down in the history books as a meeting that went ahead.
The phrase ‘go down’ however feels rather inappropriate.
Those same history books will show there is nothing that can keep racing in Traralgon down entirely.
