Two Echuca trainers will be involved when one of country Victoria’s biggest race meets, the Gunbower Cup, returns on Saturday.
Two Echuca trainers have horses entered in the Gunbower Cup on Saturday, one of the biggest country race meets of the year.
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Rhys Archard, previously based in Echuca but now in Seymour, trains Space Age, which will compete in the 1800-metre Gold Cup, the main event on the day.
Archard said the Irish-bred runner had been “targeted” for the race against nine other horses.
“He's got a big weight at 60 kilos, but he’s a big strong horse, so hopefully he can carry it,” the trainer said.
Archard is no stranger to the meet.
He’s had Undercover Poet and I Got You previously race well in the Cup.
The event is also particularly important to him, with his mum from Gunbower and dad from nearby Cohuna.
“With my family all down that way, Cohuna, Gunbower, we always try and target a horse for that day, whether it's the cup or not,” Archard said.
“But we’re fortunate enough this year to have one horse go there, and it is the cup.
“Fingers crossed we can run well.”
Meanwhile, Echuca-based Gwenda Johnstone Racing, run by Gwenda and Michael Johnstone, will also have a horse involved.
Koning is the third emergency for the main event, but Mutsuhito will run in the fifth race of the day, the 1300m BM52 Handicap.
Michael noted the difficulty of the track but was bullish about the horse’s chances.
“You’ve got to draw close to the fence inwards,” he said.
“Mutsuhito will just jump and settle.
“We’re hoping to be about fourth or fifth in the running, and if he gets a clear run in the straight, he can be competitive.”
Gwenda Johnstone Racing’s horse Mutsuhito.
There’s a chance Koning runs in the Gold Cup, if at least two horses are scratched.
Johnstone said the horse preferred a wet surface.
Koning “races on speed and just grinds away”, according to the trainer.
Away from the track, there’s plenty on offer.
After all, this meet was just crowned Country Racing Victoria’s community club event of the year.
An enormous number of tickets have already been snapped up, particularly in general admission.
Those attending will enjoy marquee and umbrella packages, and a staple of the event, fashions on the field, which has a prize pool of almost $12,000.
The races begin with the 1800m Maiden Plate at 12.45pm.
The Gold Cup, with a $40,000 prize on offer, is scheduled to start at 4.16pm.
General admission and Big Green Shed luncheon tickets can be booked right up to race day, including at the gate.
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