Wild weather did not dampen the spirits of the chocker-block crowd at Echuca Racing Club, as punters from across the region braved the elements and were rewarded with a gripping day on the track.
When it came to the day’s feature race, which ended up being run on a Heavy 8 track, it became a celebration of all things good for Lindsay Park as the Euroa-based stable claimed yet another of the region’s most coveted cups.
Lindsay Park co-trainer Ben Hayes said it was always a thrill to get out and have success at tracks like Echuca on its landmark day.
“It (the Echuca Cup) is a very good race to win, obviously being based around this area it is always nice to win some of your local cups and support the industry,” Hayes said.
“I thought it was a really good and competitive race, even though there were a couple of scratchings that made things a little bit easier, the way he won he would have been very hard to beat.
“It is a big thrill whenever we win a race, especially a country cup, so for the plan to come off in the way it did it was very exciting for us watching on.”
While the heavy conditions had the initial field whittled down slightly, the day’s feature race was still expected to be a tight affair as Here To Shock presented as one of the top chance’s at $3.80.
With reigning Echuca Cup winning jockey Blaike McDougall in the saddle for the 1400m, the five-year-old gelding got off to an impressive start, with a strong jump out of the barriers having him settle up near the lead.
Perfectly positioned behind early leader East Indiaman, the Lindsay Park runner was impressive in the way he controlled his tempo and kept up with the early speed.
Primed to make a bold run to the finish, McDougall took the shackles off at the perfect moment as Here To Shock peeled around the outside of East Indiaman and charged towards the line.
Picking up speed over the final 300m, the rest of the field was powerless to stop him, as he ended up recording a handsome 2.75L victory.
Hayes said the run went perfectly to plan and was full of praise for his horse and jockey.
“JD and I were thrilled, it was a race we targeted for him and we trialled him into it nicely,” he said.
“I thought it was a great ride by Blaike, with the heavy track we weren’t too sure how he was going to handle it, but Blaike kept his balance, went to the front and got him into a good rhythm.
“So for him to win, and to do it so impressively, it certainly brought a smile to JD and I and we feel he is going to be one to watch in higher quality races in the not too distant future.”
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