Owner and trainer Shane Edmonds emotionally accepted his second XXXX Gold Inverell Cup on Sunday, and took a moment to gather himself as he addressed the crowd.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was a sweet repeat on the Inverell Racecourse for the New Year’s day race meeting when the Edmonds family’s 10-year-old Finishing Card made an encore performance with jockey Matt McGuren, and came from behind once again to match his 2015 Cup win.
The big rangy chestnut gelding, owned and trained by the Inverell locals Trudy and Shane Edmonds, ran a ring from behind around a competitive field in the seventh to engrave his name a second time on the impressive silver cup.
“He’s just got a big heart, the horse, he’s just likes this track, he likes Mattie riding him quiet, and that’s just the way he is, that’s how you’ve got to ride him,” Shane said.
“His first couple runs were unsuitable, we knew that, and we just had to wait. We just had to wait for this race. He’s a remarkable horse, Trude’s a remarkable person with the horse and it’s just a great team effort for us.”
It was one among a day of stories among the 99 horses that sprang from the barriers.
Ray Hartley trained Escort Arli swept race one with Raymond Spokes aboard, with Jets Cracker, McRae and Shaft of Magic coming behind in the 1010m Bede Thomas Memorial Plate, and it was a little of a fairy tale victory for the three-year-old gelding, that pulled up with sore after a barrier trial, and came back to win after a 10-month spell.
The 40th running of the Brian Baldwin Maiden 1400m handicap saw a herd bundle through the finish, but three-year-old El Teniente stole the show. Co-owner Rebecca Williams said they bought the gelding at 11 months, and said jockey Ben Looker felt he has the stuff to be a stayer on the course.
“We’re really pleased. We were concerned on his last start, but this is going to be a really good horse,” Rebecca said.
“Obviously, this is a maiden, this is his first win, but we’re all ecstatic today he’s come out and won, especially with the heat here in Inverell.
“He’s got a lot more to win. and he’s going to make a lot more distance in the future we reckon.”
It was another tested finish for the third Campbell Fuel Cup, with the second and third a dead heat between Rothbury and Casse Blue, but it was Sue Gaffaney-trained Col’s Tiger who won the 1010m cup.
Sue’s husband Geoff Dunn accepted the trophy from Inverell Jockey Club president Don Bartlett, and said they were very pleased with the big black horse’s win, under Jodi Worley’s capable stewardship.
“He won at Grafton three starts ago, and had a second and a third since then,” he said.
The Ted Edmonds Construction Inverell Shorts was taken easily by a family affair when the Jacob Perrett trained Capitano came in with jockey and cousin Nicholas Perrett aboard. The seven-year-old gelding is owned by his mother-in-law Jenelle Germon.
A thrilled Liz and John Evans called home their filly Spinning Quarters several times in the replays after the Eshman Stud Class handicap. Jockey Matthew Paget held back the eager four-year-old chestnut, found the opening to cruise her home with three lengths to spare in the 1200m run without hardly picking up the whip.
John paid big thanks to trainer John Shelton, who trained Spinning Quarters successful sister, Cash Spinner.
“We thought she had a good chance because she had a third at Coffs the other week, and and this is her second run after a spell, and this is her third win,” John said.
The Stewart’s Grain Trading Cup was a nose to nose decider between Safety Peg, trained by Nancy Stewart and Cavitation, trained by Bill Perrett, but Safety Peg was a winner with jockey Carla Dougherty.
The final race saw Tamworth trainer and first Inverell track-winning female jockey Sue Grills accept the win for five-year-old Duke Military with the Inverell Cup wining jockey Matt McGuren on board.