Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup post race
- The opening day of Riccarton Park’s 2024/25 season was also the opening day of the Grand National Festival of Racing. It promised plenty and delivered likewise with stunning weather and sensational racing.
- The days feature the Group 3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup provided a thrilling finish. Pacemaker BRADMAN appeared to have the race for much of the straight but was swamped right on the line by JAY BEE GEE and FREEZE FRAME with the former prevailing by 1/3000th of a second. The official margin was a nose, over FREEZE FRAME with BRADMAN also a nose away in third. JUSTASKME ram home strongly for fourth as did past New Zealand Cup winner ALJAY for fifth. JAY BEE GEE’s last three starts are now an unplaced run in the NZ Cup and wins in the Amberley and Winters Cups, all three being at Riccarton for a horse trained at Hunterville by Adrian Bull. Kelly Myers was the winning rider.
- For good measure Bull prepared HARMONIOUS to win the last for owner Sir Peter Vela and 2023/24 champion apprentice Lily Sutherland.
- At $1.70 reigning champion jumper WEST COAST was expected to win the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Koral Steeplechase and he did in comfortable style under the maximum weight of 73kg. COUNTRY BUMPKIN finished strongly for second ahead of CAPTAINS RUN. Regular rider Shaun Fannin took the mount.
- Earlier in the day Mark Oulaghan’s other charge BERRY THE CASH was odds on at $1.40 to win the Avon City Ford Sydenham Hurdles. Whilst he did so it was not without much luck as DICTATION stumbled over the last and dislodged rider Hamish McNeill with the race seemingly in safe keeping. Regular rider and last season’s champion jumps jockey Portia Matthews rode the winner under the top weight of 73kg.
- Kevin Myers combined with stable apprentice Lily Sutherland to bring TARVOS a storming home winner of the Three-year-old race.
- Oulaghan and Bull each prepared two winners whilst Sutherland was the only rider to win more than one race.
- Northern stables won seven races and the south three.