FRESH from a six-month spell, seven-year-old New Zealand gelding, Angelology won the 136th cluBarham Kerang Cup by a head length on Saturday.
Still riding high on emotion after his sister, Michelle Payne, rode Prince of Penzance home to win the 2015 Melbourne Cup, prominent trainer, Patrick Payne added another cup to the silverware in front of a large crowd at Alexandra Park for the Kerang Turf Club’s major race of the year.
Echuca-based seven-year-old gelding and race favourite, Leveraction finished second, with Benalla-based Cheeky Rozay, finishing third by a margin of 1.9 lengths.
Trained in Plumpton, Angelology collected $11,000 in prize money thanks to her 14th career win from 44 starts, to bring career earnings to more than $284,000.
The Payne’s stablehand, Emma Payne said the track – rated a Good 4 – was “even for all with fair chances all around”.
“We bring horses here almost every meet and competed in the Kerang Cup for at least five years now,” she said.
“Country racing is really good because the whole community gets involved and just a general good day out for everyone.
Angelology – who is also a successful jumps horse, with three wins from eight starts – will now focus on the May jumps racing carnival at Warrnambool.
“Angel[ology] has always been strong in most cups across Victoria, but he will be specialising now in his jumps coming up,” Payne said.
Seymour-based apprentice jockey, Tahlia Hope, 17, punched the air after she crossed the post to claim her first country cup win.
“I have done a lot of grounding work with Patrick. Before I got my licence, I did a fair few jump outs and trials. He has been a good supporter and stuck very local,” she said.
“He [Angelology] is a very good jumper, so he jumped out and stayed at the back in his comfort zone. Patrick is pretty adamant when he says to stay close to the rail as close as possible and we weaved his way through the field.
“He is just a beautiful horse and will be hard to beat in the future.”
Hope praised the turf club’s committee on the presentation of the track and facilities.
“The track is in great order; they have done a really good job with it,” she said.
Speaking on Michelle’s emphatic win at Flemington last November, Hope said she has “opened another eye for women in racing”.
“It’s about getting a little more opportunity and that will just come in time. We have a lot of young girls coming through and it is great to see racing is more eye opened to girls and giving us a good go now,” she said.
Veteran jockey, Darren Gauci – who has won four Victorian jockey premierships and been runner-up in the Melbourne Cup on three occasions – rode in five races, including Brian McKnight’s six-year-old gelding, My Dancing Duel in the main race.
Gauci saved his best performance until the end, winning the seventh race on the card, the 1800-metre J&M Chaser Bins 0-58 Handicap on board Barry Goodwin-trained Silver Eagle.
“I’ve been told previously that it is a good meeting; it is my first time here and it seems to look like a great day for the community,” he said.
“Being predominately based in Melbourne as a jockey it does make it hard to get outside of the suburbs, but today has presented the opportunity to do so and I am very thrilled the chance has arrived.”
It was a mixed day of results for Kerang-based trainers, with the Jarrod Robinson-trained four-year-old mare, Tillation winning the Halls Home Hardware BM70 Handicap.
The second best local success was with the Peter Williams-trained four-year-old gelding, Wild Irish Boy, who finished second in the 1100-metre Gannawarra Shire Council BM52 Handicap
Other race winners were five-year-old mare, Salaqua in the 1100-metre Be Races Ready – TAC Maiden Plate, True Justice in the 3SH Maiden Plate, Anonymiss in the Fishers IGA Kerang BM64 Handicap and Alangejack in the Gannawarra Shire Council BM52 Handicap.
