Most of the Gunbower Racing Club committee have an interest in the horse and that interest has extended to Echuca since Farrant has started training him at Echuca.
Echuca Racing Club general manager Garry Armstrong said Farrant was a well known and well liked racing personality from the region, who had been in the presidential role at Gunbower for 10-plus years.
“He stopped training for a while there, while he was working on his properties,” Armstrong said.
“He has bred this horse, it was from a mare that he raced.”
Son of a Blonde finished behind Mick Cornish and Donna Gaskin-trained O’whatapicture at Ararat on the weekend.
“Breeding them from home is a a pretty hard game. It has a bit of ability and in this race is a genuine each way chance,” Mr Armstrong said.
The first of seven races is at 1.10pm on Sunday and the last is at 4.40pm.
The Gunbower president has started bringing the horse to Echuca to work it on the grass. Echuca trainer Rhys Archard rides the horse for him in track work.
∎ Race one is an 1100-metre race for two-year-old unraced fillies and every horse is trained from metropolitan stables.
“Some of them are very nicely bred, there wouldn’t be too many cheap ones. The market will be the guide,” Armstrong said.
∎ Race two has 13 starters, with Rhys Archard first starter Pepin Island and Tayne Foster trained Abracadabra representing the locals.
“Tayne only has two horses, but here it runs into some pretty strong company,” he said.
∎ Shea Eden-trained Lady Rockette, the bottom weight in the 1000 metre third event, caught the attention of Armstrong.
“Anything from the Shea Eden stable that comes up here is worth taking a look at,” he said.
Mr Armstrong said with Echuca on Sunday, Swan Hill on Monday and Benalla on Tuesday several trainers had taken different options for their horses — with so much north-east Victorian racing.
∎ In the sixth event Rhys Archard has Charcoal Annie, which this time last year was racing well over the mile. He also has Duns ‘n’ Roses and his father Darryl has Common Request in the race
“This is probably the right distance for Charcoal Annie. It is the best of the three on exposed form,” he said.
∎ Gwenda Johnstone-trained Bon Shadow is one of the MacKenzie family horses, the top weight in the 1200-metre final event.
“It goes well at Echuca and will be an each-way chance,” he said.
“It will go forward in the race, and even though it is drawn wide I expect it to kicking up and look for the front.”
