September 21, 2015
Spring was in the air at Nanango’s Lee Park Raceway on Saturday, and it was also strongly in evidence trackside.
Patrons attending the Nanango Race Club’s annual Heritage Mardi Gras race meeting wore a bewildering array of attire, ranging from colourful, lightweight Spring outfits to comfortable tweeds and warm, woolly jackets.
Two hen’s party groups were celebrating in the grounds – one in their own marquee – and in addition to the usual paddock full of cars, the club’s parking lot also sported some immaculately restored hot rods driven by members of the South Burnett Gas Guzzlers Club.
The Fashions Of The Field competition saw strong competition from stylish-attired women and nattily suited men, some sporting fluorescent green ties.
Apart from South Burnett locals, patrons travelled from all parts of Brisbane, as well as Gympie and the Sunshine Coast, to take in a day of country racing.
Forecasts earlier in the week had predicted rain and the clouds over the course occasionally looked like they might make that prediction come true, but in the end conditions stayed dry and pleasant throughout.
Saturday’s meeting was sponsored by the Heritage Bank Nanango, and they chose to name the day’s races after several local community groups and events they sponsor through their community grants program.
So punters got to wager on races named in honour of the South Burnett Western Performance Club, Raising Hell In Maidenwell, the Heritage Nanango Country Muster and the Rural Fire Brigades.
There was some drama when the start of Race 2 was delayed after Swift Little Miss became fractious in the mounting yard and reared up, dislodging Wondai jockey Jason Missen.
Both horse and rider made contact with enclosure’s fence, and Missen’s foot was pinned between the horse and fence in the incident.
Swift Little Miss was declared a late scratching at 2:10pm, and Missen received ambulance attention on site before being transported to hospital for further observation. This forced him to miss two other rides he had lined up later in the day (Race 4 on Tropical Heatwave, and Race 5 on Pagoh).
But all eyes were on the day’s feature race – the Heritage Nanango Mardi Gras Cup – when a surprise protest lodged by third place getter Cover Up against second place getter Tropical Heatwave for interference in the home straight was upheld.
The protest, of course, had no effect on winner Conhenri, a 9-year-old bay gelding trained by Gary Moloney and ridden to victory by jockey Wayne O’Connell, who beat all other contenders to the finishing post by a length and a half.
But the duo were surprised when they were presented with the Heritage Mardi Gras Cup by retired Justice John Muir, who was recently appointed as interim chair of Racing Queensland to help restructure that organisation.
John had taken the day off to visit the Nanango track with his wife, and was warmly welcomed by new Nanango Race Club president Andrew Green and race club officials.
Andrew said he was delighted Mr Muir was taking an interest in country racing, and very pleased he’d chosen Nanango for a day away.
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Results
Race 1 – South Burnett Western Performance BenchMark 60 Handicap (800m)
1. Jeptoo (3) – Hannah Phillips
2. Latin American (1) – Jag Guthmann-Chester
3. Egiptienne (2) – Melody O’Brien
Time: 0:45.37
Margins: 1 1/2 lengths x 1/2 length
Race 2 – Raising Hell In Maidenwell Maiden Plate (1000m)
1. Feisty Girl (12) – Jason Hoopert
2. Matilda Miss (9) – Michael Schrapel
3. Lemesee (8) – Montanna Savva
Time: 0:58.45
Margins: 1 length x 1 length
Race 3 – Heritage Nanango Country Muster Class B Handicap (1000m)
1. Issy Command (1) – Jedidiah Hodge
2. Spectacular Rock (4) – Melody O’Brien
3. Cast Out (9) – Melissa Cox
Time: 0:57.70
Margins: 2 lengths x 3 lengths
Race 4 – Heritage Nanango Mardi Gras Cup BenchMark 65 Handicap (1200m)
1. Conhenri (4) – Wayne O’Connell
2. Cover Up (6) – Shaun Bayliss
3. Tropical Heatwave (2) – Ian Coombes
Time: 1:10.20
Margins: 1 1/2 lengths x short head
Race 5 – Rural Fire Brigade BenchMark 55 Handicap (1600m)
1. I’m No Ruby (1) – Jag Guthmann-Chester
2. Pagoh (7) – Ian Coombes
3. Quelle Beaute (3) – Hannah Phillips
Time: 1:36.50
Margins: 1 1/2 lengths x 1/2 length
