Iain Scott, from Wynnum, and Sandy Connor, from Maryborough, cut a stylish nautical duo at Saturday’s Heritage Cup race meeting in Nanango

September 20, 2016

Nanango’s Heritage Cup race meeting on Saturday was full of surprises … and all of them were pleasant.

The first was that there were so many nominations for the day’s feature race, the Heritage Cup, that Racing Queensland allowed the Nanango Race Club to expand the number of races at the meeting from five to six.

This gave punters extra chances for betting, which is always welcome at a country track.

The second surprise was that the Race Club was able to obtain a second Heritage Cup at very short notice, which allowed them to present one to each winner of the (now doubled) feature races.

And the third surprise was that after several days of forecasting a wet Saturday, the Bureau of Meteorology was let down by the weather gods and the track stayed sunny and pleasant all day.

Other surprises were the large number of guests who dressed to the meeting’s “Nautical Twist” fashion theme, and the many visitors who attended from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, including an MG Car Club that stayed overnight in Nanango.

The meeting was entirely sponsored by Nanango’s Heritage Bank, and except for two late scratchings in Race 1 and jockey Nathan Evans being stood down due to illness, everything else largely ran without incident.

As the afternoon wore on, all eyes were on the feature races Races 4 and 5.

In the end, 4-to-1 shot Karaharaga took Race 4 by a short half head, and 15-to-1 long shot Charzooka took the honours in Race 5 by an easy one and a quarter lengths, delivering punters two more surprises for the day.

Heritage Bank board member Graham Archdall said Nanango’s Heritage Bank was very pleased to sponsor the race club.

The latest project Heritage is sponsoring is a new covered walkway that will connect the betting ring with the track’s stable area.

Not everyone dressed to the nautical theme … Blackbutt’s Monica McGregor and Gage Cooper (who plays for the Nanango Panthers) opted for stylish elegance instead
Kevin Duddy, from Beerwah, and Leonie Dunn, from Caloundra, came with the MG Club
Brian Dunn, from Caloundra, brought ‘Seaweed’ along to see the Lee Park race course
Neil O’Sullivan, from Bracken Ridge, came out for a day of trackside fun with his wife Sharon
Anne McArthur, from Caloundra, was another MG Club member who dressed to the theme
Ian Pincott, from Nanango, and Milly Bakker-Meyers, from Brisbane
Rob and Joanne Perren, from Bracken Ridge, enjoyed a relaxing day of country racing
Aye aye, Cap’n! Stella and Jason Wade had fun serving guests in the champagne bar
Faylene and Robert Howard, from Bracken Ridge, caught up with friends at the track
Juliet Partridge, from Brisbane, and Aleisha Hudson, from Oakey, were casting their eyes over the horses in the mounting yard
Horse breeder and owner Mike O’Brien gives Karaharaga an affectionate pat after the horse narrowly won Race 4
Shortly afterwards, Graham Archdall from Nanango’s Heritage Bank, presented the first Heritage Cup of the day to trainer Brenton Andrew and owner Mike O’Brien
Trainer John Byrne chats with clearly elated jockey Stephanie Lacy after Charzooka took the second Heritage Cup race by more than length over its nearest rival
David Kenny, from Nanango’s Heritage Bank, presented the second Heritage Cup to John Byrne

* * *

The first Heritage Cup race was incredibly close, with Karaharaga (obscured) first past the post by just a short half head

Results

Race 1 – People First Class B Handicap (1000m)
1. Kakadu Plum (9) – Billie-Rose Derbyshire
2. I Am Relentless (5) – Nathan Evans
3. From St Andrews (4) – Corey Bayliss
Time: 0:58.60
Margins: Long neck x short half head

Race 2 – Heritage Nanango Mardi Gras Open Handicap (1000m)
1. Sun Will Shine (3) – Nathan Evans
2. Squeemi (6) – Hannah English
3. Testascana (1) – Sean Palmer
Time: 0:57.96
Margins: Long neck x long head

Race 3 – Heritage Home Loan Maiden Plate (1200m)
1. Hypnotizing (8) – Gary Geran
2. Sequoia Miss (12) – Adam Spinks
3. Anyhow Anytime (13) – Shaun Bayliss
Time: 1:11.80
Margins: Length x 3/4 length

Race 4 – Heritage Bank Nanango BenchMark 55 Handicap (1200m)
1. Karaharaga (6) – Billie-Rose Derbyshire
2. Candid (3) – Hannah English
3. Blooded (5) – Jedidiah Hodge
Time: 1:10.45
Margins: Short half head x 3/4 length

Race 5 – Heritage Bank Nanango BenchMark 55 Handicap (1200m)
1. Charzooka (7) – Stephanie Lacy
2. All Our Wives (8) – Adam Spinks
3. Simply Showtime (2) – Corey Bayliss
Time: 1:10.23
Margins: 1 1/4 lengths x 1 1/4 lengths

Race 6 – Heritage Community Funding BenchMark 55 Handicap (1600m)
1. Cool Days (1) – Sean Palmer
2. Deadly Dennis (6) – Todd Banks
3. Tiverton (4) – Corey Bayliss
Time: 1:35.86
Margins: 1 length x 1 1/2 lengths

Jockeys – Best Results

  • Billie-Rose Derbyshire – 2 wins
  • Nathan Evans – 1 win, 1 place
  • Sean Palmer – 1 win, 1 place
  • Corey Bayliss – 3 places
  • Hannah English – 2 places
  • Adam Spinks – 2 places
  • View videos all all five races on the Nanango Race Club’s YouTube Channel
The second Heritage Cup race was less tightly matched than the first, with Charzooka crossing the winning post a good 1 1/4 lengths ahead of his next nearest rival

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