PAKENHAM-based trainer John Gunning combined with jockey Kane Bradley for their first country Cup success, when Hi Belle gave the locals something to cheer about in Sunday’s $55,000 Patties Foods Bairnsdale Cup (1600m).
Gunning pulled off a long-range plan when jockey Bradley carried out instructions to the letter to land the first key country Cup of the 2011 spring racing carnival aboard the five-year-old daughter of Clangalang.
Gunning races Hi Belle with Bairnsdale-based members of the Burgoyne family and he said Sunday’s race was one they dearly wanted to win.
“I’m proud to win this race today,” Gunning said at the presentation. “I’ve won group races, but I’ve never won a country cup.
“But I’m very proud because of my owners. They’ve retired down to Bairnsdale and we really wanted to win this race and it has panned out well for us.”
Doug Burgoyne said it was a huge thrill to celebrate a feature country cup win.
“We’ve been trying for a long time, but never had one good enough to get into a race like this,” he said.
“We won a Metung Cup here 10 years ago and that was a thrill, but this is bigger.”
Gunning and Burgoyne couldn’t have been happier with the way Bradley handled Hi Belle, finding a position a couple of horses back along the inside before producing her at the 200 metre mark.
She sprinted impressively once in the clear to reel in gallant pair American Crew ($6) and Tube ($31), who fought on well after racing on a solid speed. The margins were three quarters of a length by one and a half lengths.
Bradley said he was always confident he would score aboard Hi Belle, who was well-backed to start $4.80 favourite after coming off an unlucky seventh at Caulfield eight days earlier.
“I was confident from the beginning,” Bradley said.
“She began a bit more positively today, she was a bit unlucky last start at Caulfield and perhaps she should have run a place, but I thought she was always going to win today, she just needed a little bit of luck and she got it and won well.”
The Bairnsdale success was Hi Belle’s fifth from 18 starts and lifted her earnings beyond $128,000.
Step towards levy repeal
Cardinia Shire Council has taken a step forward by unanimously passing a motion urging Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes to repeal the Emergency Services and...
