If you are ever lacking motivation, just think – they raced at Moe when half the state was underwater.
And they didn’t just race, they held an entire meeting on Moe Cup Day.
While every other grass track in Victoria was deemed unfit to race on Friday, October 14, little old Moe went through a nine race-card program unscathed.
In what was a proud day for the club, sure to live long in the memory of all those involved, the Moe Racing Club’s StrathAyr track passed the ultimate test on the biggest day of the club’s calendar.
On that calendar, the Moe Cup was pushed back a day from its traditional Thursday timeslot, and just as well – there was more than 20 millimetres that fell last Thursday.
While the sense of irony about rain on Moe Cup Day (which to those unaware, has become a recurring local joke) was not lost, officials would have surely been feeling trepidation as the rain pelted down.
Moe Racing Club office manager, Sandra Townsend, was reportedly on the phone all day repeating the words “yes, we are racing tomorrow”.
Although many had predicted a washout after 23.6ml fell on Thursday night, they perhaps underestimated the sheer strength of the club’s StrathAyr track.
The track had previously withstood 15ml falling before and 36ml falling throughout a meeting last year.
But a Moe Cup offered a sterner test, not so much in terms of the rain, but in terms of what was at stake.
In the end, you couldn’t have asked for a more ringing endorsement for the track at Moe Racing Club; you could hardly even notice rain had affected the track.
Jockey’s the calibre of Craig Williams have spoken glowingly of it in the past.
That track has well and truly paid for itself since it was installed in 2016.
The sand-based track is designed to allow continuous drainage to occur and prevent surface water laying on the track.
By the end of the meeting, Moe Racing Club had the last laugh against anyone who thought the meeting was ever in doubt.
The Cup was won by five-year-old gelding Fengarada, trained at Pakenham by John Leek Jr.
Heartland Raider carried the hopes of locals, with the Charlie Gafa trained mare flying the Moe flag.
Sale-trained Plymouth Road also took part, but appeared to not want to jump once the barriers flew open.
Fengarada and Not Usual Glorious jostled for front position early, with the latter taking the lead all the way to 400m mark.
With 700m to go, the Travis Doudle trained gelding appeared in a good position, with racecaller and Stony Creek Racing Club chief executive Adam Olszanski declaring “everything going to plan for Not Usual Glorious, the SA visitor down the side trying to steal another one of our cups”.
However, Fengarada, having maintained a steady pace for the entirety of the race, broke from second in the last 250m, taking over to run away and win by a length from Fifth Position.
The win took his record to 16-6-4-0, and netted the Pakenham-based stable, headed by trainer John Leek Jr, an $82,500 prize purse.
Trafalgar had a win on the day, with a Mick Templeton runner getting up in Race 6.
The meeting started with Flight to the Moon winning the Race 1 Triple M Maiden Plate over 1600 metres.
In what was a thrilling start to the day, the first three horses were separated by a nose, with the four-year-old gelding sneaking in, sandwiched between Gottabesavvy and Satin Image, ridden by Trafalgar jockey Jason Maskiell.
Peintre’s Pride had a more straightforward victory in the Race 2 TM&H Mitre 10 Maiden Plate (1100m), winning by a length after running from third with 400m to go.
With floods across Victoria leaving roads closed and stables finding it physically impossible to transport horses through flood-affected areas, only four horses were able to take part in this race.
This was followed by Empressive Enuff doing exactly as its name suggested, winning the Race 3 Harcourts Moe-Newborough 4Y0+ Maiden Plate (1100m).
The four-year-old gelding took an early lead and was rarely headed, winning for the Mornington stable of Dean Binaisse.
In the Race 4 Ian Grants Caravans BM64 Handicap (1000m), Jungle Sensation won the sprint to the line.
The five-year-old mare has been in impressive touch, winning three of its last four starts and placing in all four.
Arkitika won the Race 5 Hydro Australia BM64 Handicap (1600m), getting the job done ahead of Claidheamh and Hollywood Park, ridden by Luke Nolen of Black Caviar fame.
Race 6 was the Bottlemart Moe Mile BM78 Handicap (1600m), and was won by Sharper for local trainer Mick Templeton.
Again, a small field left only three runners for the race, but spectators were treated to a good finish nonetheless, with the four-year-old gelding winning by half-a-length to make it back-to-back victories.
Race 7 was the Ladbrokes Moe Cup, while two more races were held to round out the meeting.
Parisian Dancer won the Race 8 Moe Optical ‘Royal Snack’ BM70 Handicap (2050m) before Do Ya Punk got a win for prominent trainer Peter Moody in the Race 9 Moe Nextra Sprint BM78 Handicap (1200m).
In a boost for Moe Racing Club, the Cup was not the only race to carry significant prize money. The Moe Optical ‘Royal Snack’ was valued at $50,000, the Moe Nextra Sprint at $60,000 and the Bottlemart Moe Mile at $60,000.
Photo captions
- Sharper wins Race 6 on Moe Cup Day for Trafalgar trainer Mick Templeton. (Photo: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos)
- Sharper in the mounting yard with Mick Templeton after securing victory in the Moe Mile. (Photo: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos)
- Trafalgar’s Nicole Power, Moe’s Evvy Hortis and Garfield’s Catherine Boraston enjoyed the Moe Cup. (Photo: Liam Durkin)
- A good crowd came to Moe Racing Club for the Moe Cup. (Photo: Liam Durkin)
