News

Party never stops at track

29th Apr 2010

The Daily Telegraph - Brent Zerafa - Saturday, 27 April 2010

WITH the Sydney autumn carnival done and dusted, it is now time for the thriving regional racing centres - the lifeblood of the sport - to shine.

They might not attract the same A-list celebrities or capture the attention of free-to-air television crews, but the towns of Hawkesbury, Wagga, Scone and Grafton will keep racing's carnival flame flickering in the weeks to come.

The stakes are high - and in some instances higher than carnival standard - and corporate and community support is strong.

Bars will be lined, betting rings will bulge and scores of racegoers will travel long distances to enjoy the country carnival atmosphere.

Hawkesbury Race Club CEO Brian Fletcher is expecting close to 15,000 people to head to the northwestern Sydney track this Saturday, where the top-end metropolitan stables of Gai Waterhouse and Peter Snowden will be represented in force.

Next week Wagga hosts its annual two-day racing extravaganza, with the Town Plate on Thursday and the Wagga Gold Cup on Friday.

As many as 17,000 people will pack the Murrumbidgee Turf Club racetrack to watch the prestigious Cup, which is worth a tidy $130,000.

The following week it is Scone's turn, with the inaugural $770,000 Inglis Guineas sure to attract a big crowd to witness some of the best three-year-olds in training.

Pat Webster and his son Wayne are preparing Parfumier for the $100,000 Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury this Saturday.

The Villiers Stakes runner-up has failed to fire in two runs this preparation but the stable is confident he is ready to produce his best.

"He has not been helped by two bad barrier draws and the jockey probably went before acceptances last start but, in saying that, if he doesn't run good on Saturday he will be turned out," Pat said. "I think with an improved alley and a good track he will run well.

"He impressed me with his hard work [yesterday] and won't do much for the rest of the week."

The Websters are also eyeing the Scone Cup with Parfumier.

"I love getting up to meetings like Scone, they are fantastic," Pat said.

"I won a nice race up there years back with Shy Hero.

"Hugh Bowman rode him that day. The people at the regional meetings really love their racing and know how to have a good time."

John O'Shea, who is set to be represented by Honest Lies in the Hawkesbury Guineas and Ready Miss in the Darley Crown, is another fan of the out-of-town feature meetings. "They are great to break the monotony and there is always a lot of enthusiasm at the meetings," he said.

"I would like to see the regional centres given Saturday status during the winter months.

"I don't have any horses set for Wagga this year, but I have won the Cup down there and it is always a great carnival.

"Grafton, Scone: they all put on a good show. Racing is not just about the big-city carnivals."