Latest news with #GrandAnnualSteeplechase
News.com.au
05-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Warrnambool MP Dan Tehan to keep fighting against any changes to May jumps carnival
His party might have taken a belting in Saturday's Federal election, but Wannon MP Dan Tehan was keen to lead the charge against any changes to the Warrnambool May Carnival. Tehan could be among the possible candidates to become the Federal Opposition Leader after previous leader Peter Dutton lost his Queensland seat during Liberal's heavy election defeat. But Tehan, who attended multiple days of last week's carnival during campaigning in his western Victorian seat, said retaining jumps racing would always be one of his priorities. Another massive crowd watched the Grand Annual Steeplechase in perfect weather last Thursday. It was the first running of the gruelling event since Racing Victoria's latest review late last year permitted the continuance of jumps racing for another three years. Tehan said his office made a submission to the review on behalf of his electorate, which is the state's jumps racing epicentre. 'I always look on the positive (side) and we had a wonderful three days again,' Tehan said. 'You look at the crowds, about 6000 on Tuesday, seven or 8000 on Wednesday and you've probably got 15,000 for the Grand Annual. 'It's just magnificent and you look at the crowds that you'll get on a Saturday at Flemington at this time of the year, this carnival dwarfs it. 'People vote with their feet, and we've got to make sure it continues. 'We've had great jumping displays in all the three major jumps races and that's the way I think of it.' Racing Victoria established a Jumps Taskforce to oversee improvements to the sector after an unacceptable number of fatalities last year. The Jumps Taskforce will meet to review the season later this year and will report to the RV board on issues such as 'safety metrics, participation rates and economic impacts' before another review at the end of the 2027 jumps season. Tehan said shutting down jumps racing would make no sense in the current climate. 'I hope we don't have to keep fighting for it,' Tehan said. 'It's a fantastic spectacle, people love it and why would you want to shut industries down? 'I just hope jumps racing continues to thrive. 'It's what people want down here, it's why they come to Warrnambool and this state, if it starts closing industries down, there's going to be nothing left. 'We've got to be doing everything to encourage things like this. This brings people from around the world down here. 'Why wouldn't we help to support it?' Tehan held his seat after a serious challenge from independent candidate Alex Dyson.
Daily Telegraph
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Duke Of Bedford blows rivals away to claim Grand Annual Steeplechase by 12 lengths.
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Fatigue was the only hope for Duke Of Bedford's rivals a long way from the finish of Thursday's gruelling $350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool. The 5500m epic is one of Australia's toughest races but Duke Of Bedford made the race look like an afternoon pleasure for jockey Arron Lynch with his almost flawless jumping. While Lynch opened up a massive mid-race gap on rivals, trainer Andrew Bobbin was wondering whether the jockey had allowed Duke Of Bedford to go too quickly. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'I was just watching him go around and I thought, 'Jesus, Lynchy, what are you doing?',' Bobbin said. However, Duke Of Bedford ($3.70 fav) showed no signs of fatigue in the straight, ploughing through the worn track to score by 12 lengths over honest locals Instigator ($5.50) and Bazini ($15). 'He just kept finding and finding,' Bobbin said. 'I thought, 'we're going to stop here soon' but when he came down the hill the second time, I knew he just had to get over them and that's all he needed to do. 'Every jockey tells me that he might look like he's doing too much but he's just cruising.' Duke Of Bedford produced his amazing performance 48 hours after a fighting win in Tuesday's Brierly Steeplechase, netting connections a $50,000 bonus from TAB. Lynch spent plenty of time alone during the Grand Annual Steeplechase as Duke Of Bedford rolled along as he pleased with a lead of up to 20 lengths at various stages of the race. He said he could clearly hear the race call letting him know how far ahead he was but Lynch had no doubt Duke Of Bedford would maintain his gallop to the end of the marathon event. 'When you're that far in front you can hear the call, it's peaceful and you can hear everything,' Lynch said. Duke Of Bedford gave trainer Andrew Bobbin another big jumps win in the Grand Annual. Picture:'You're just concentrating on your jumps and getting the horse over safely. 'He's just got that rolling tempo and holds that gallop, which just breaks them down. 'He jumped brilliant and never really made a mistake at all. 'I just had a lap full of horse when we came down on to the flat track again there. He just held that good gallop all the way. 'I just knew no other horse was going to beat me.' William McCarthy rode Duke Of Bedford to his Brierly Steeplechase win but his previous commitment to the Symon Wilde-trained Bazini left Lynch free to ride Duke Of Bedford. McCarthy graciously said he was thrilled for Bobbin and Duke Of Bedford's connections. Originally published as Duke Of Bedford blows rivals away to claim Grand Annual Steeplechase
News.com.au
01-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Duke Of Bedford blows rivals away to claim Grand Annual Steeplechase
Fatigue was the only hope for Duke Of Bedford's rivals a long way from the finish of Thursday's gruelling $350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool. The 5500m epic is one of Australia's toughest races but Duke Of Bedford made the race look like an afternoon pleasure for jockey Arron Lynch with his almost flawless jumping. While Lynch opened up a massive mid-race gap on rivals, trainer Andrew Bobbin was wondering whether the jockey had allowed Duke Of Bedford to go too quickly. 'I was just watching him go around and I thought, 'Jesus, Lynchy, what are you doing?',' Bobbin said. However, Duke Of Bedford ($3.70 fav) showed no signs of fatigue in the straight, ploughing through the worn track to score by 12 lengths over honest locals Instigator ($5.50) and Bazini ($15). 'He just kept finding and finding,' Bobbin said. 'I thought, 'we're going to stop here soon' but when he came down the hill the second time, I knew he just had to get over them and that's all he needed to do. 'Every jockey tells me that he might look like he's doing too much but he's just cruising.' Duke of Bedford annihilates his opposition with an emphatic victory in the Grand Annual Steeplechase 🙌 @grampiansracing â€' (@Racing) May 1, 2025 Duke Of Bedford produced his amazing performance 48 hours after a fighting win in Tuesday's Brierly Steeplechase, netting connections a $50,000 bonus from TAB. Lynch spent plenty of time alone during the Grand Annual Steeplechase as Duke Of Bedford rolled along as he pleased with a lead of up to 20 lengths at various stages of the race. He said he could clearly hear the race call letting him know how far ahead he was but Lynch had no doubt Duke Of Bedford would maintain his gallop to the end of the marathon event. 'When you're that far in front you can hear the call, it's peaceful and you can hear everything,' Lynch said. 'You're just concentrating on your jumps and getting the horse over safely. 'He's just got that rolling tempo and holds that gallop, which just breaks them down. 'He jumped brilliant and never really made a mistake at all. 'I just had a lap full of horse when we came down on to the flat track again there. He just held that good gallop all the way. 'I just knew no other horse was going to beat me.' William McCarthy rode Duke Of Bedford to his Brierly Steeplechase win but his previous commitment to the Symon Wilde-trained Bazini left Lynch free to ride Duke Of Bedford. McCarthy graciously said he was thrilled for Bobbin and Duke Of Bedford's connections.
Herald Sun
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Duke Of Bedford blows rivals away to claim Grand Annual Steeplechase by 12 lengths.
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Fatigue was the only hope for Duke Of Bedford's rivals a long way from the finish of Thursday's gruelling $350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool. The 5500m epic is one of Australia's toughest races but Duke Of Bedford made the race look like an afternoon pleasure for jockey Arron Lynch with his almost flawless jumping. While Lynch opened up a massive mid-race gap on rivals, trainer Andrew Bobbin was wondering whether the jockey had allowed Duke Of Bedford to go too quickly. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'I was just watching him go around and I thought, 'Jesus, Lynchy, what are you doing?',' Bobbin said. However, Duke Of Bedford ($3.70 fav) showed no signs of fatigue in the straight, ploughing through the worn track to score by 12 lengths over honest locals Instigator ($5.50) and Bazini ($15). 'He just kept finding and finding,' Bobbin said. 'I thought, 'we're going to stop here soon' but when he came down the hill the second time, I knew he just had to get over them and that's all he needed to do. 'Every jockey tells me that he might look like he's doing too much but he's just cruising.' Duke Of Bedford produced his amazing performance 48 hours after a fighting win in Tuesday's Brierly Steeplechase, netting connections a $50,000 bonus from TAB. Lynch spent plenty of time alone during the Grand Annual Steeplechase as Duke Of Bedford rolled along as he pleased with a lead of up to 20 lengths at various stages of the race. He said he could clearly hear the race call letting him know how far ahead he was but Lynch had no doubt Duke Of Bedford would maintain his gallop to the end of the marathon event. 'When you're that far in front you can hear the call, it's peaceful and you can hear everything,' Lynch said. Duke Of Bedford gave trainer Andrew Bobbin another big jumps win in the Grand Annual. Picture:'You're just concentrating on your jumps and getting the horse over safely. 'He's just got that rolling tempo and holds that gallop, which just breaks them down. 'He jumped brilliant and never really made a mistake at all. 'I just had a lap full of horse when we came down on to the flat track again there. He just held that good gallop all the way. 'I just knew no other horse was going to beat me.' William McCarthy rode Duke Of Bedford to his Brierly Steeplechase win but his previous commitment to the Symon Wilde-trained Bazini left Lynch free to ride Duke Of Bedford. McCarthy graciously said he was thrilled for Bobbin and Duke Of Bedford's connections. Originally published as Duke Of Bedford blows rivals away to claim Grand Annual Steeplechase
News.com.au
30-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Steven Pateman ruled out of riding in Grand Annual but can still win as a trainer
Champion jumps jockey Steven Pateman won't be out on the track but he is still set for a bittersweet watch in the $350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase (5500m) at Warrnambool. Pateman was ruled out of riding on Thursday after he was taken to hospital following a fall from Nelson in a steeplechase on Wednesday. However, he will saddle the 11-year-old gelding Historic, who holds a special place in Australasian breeding as the last horse by the legendary sire Zabeel to pass through a sales ring. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! The late New Zealand breeding great Sir Patrick Hogan himself led Historic through the sales ring after his operation Cambridge Stud prepared the then colt for sale. Historic fetched $NZ160,000 as a yearling but Pateman paid a fraction of that amount before he had raced. 'Historic has been a really special horse for us,' Pateman said. 'We bought him for $1500 on the recommendation of Tom Dabernig. 'He'd definitely be the last Zabeel to be racing.' Pateman has won three Grand Annuals as a jockey but Historic will be his first runner in the marathon event as a trainer. Historic has returned his purchase price more than 15 times over in his 41-start career but Pateman said the Grand Annual would be the veteran's last race. 'He's been a great little horse for us,' Pateman said. 'He's won six steeplechases and he's one for one around Warrnambool and we've always said we'd love to run him in a Grand Annual. 'It will be a historic win if he gets home. 'We gave him his first start as a three-year-old and he'll retire after Thursday, win, lose or draw.' The Grand Annual Steeplechase field has been reduced to 10 possible runners after the withdrawal of Leaderboard, who fell in Tuesday's Brierly Steeplechase, and Jekyll'n'hyde, who won on Wednesday. Trainer Eric Musgrove has also withdrawn Fort Charles, who also raced on Wednesday. Stawell trainer Andrew Bobbin will wait as long as possible to decide whether the Brierly Steeplechase winner Duke Of Bedford will tackle the Grand Annual. Duke Of Bedford is the $4 favourite in Grand Annual betting, which could change significantly on Tuesday morning, depending on scratchings. Kiwi jumper Berry The Cash and Heir To The Throne, a brother to Melbourne Cup winner Prince Of Penzance, share the second line of betting at $6. â– â– â– â– â– TV host makes time for Warrnambool in election week The Federal election has taken second place to the Warrnambool carnival for Sky News host Caleb Bond. Bond hosts two shows on the channel as well as compiling political columns for various News Corp publications, making election week an important time for the commentator. But jumps racing and Warrnambool are foremost in Bond's heart this week. Bond is a regular visitor to the Warrnambool May carnival and has a great chance for a win as an owner of Road Runner in the John Rule Champion Novice Hurdle (3200m). A friendship with prominent jumps owner Pearse Morgan has led to Bond racing several jumpers, including the Australian Hurdle winner Circle The Sun. 'Pearse Morgan is a great mate of mine,' Bond said. 'I was talking to Pearse about it and he was talking about the horse and I said, 'where the hell was the call for me' and he was nice enough to slice off a hair on his tail for me.' Bond's love of jumps racing started in his home state of South Australia before jumps racing ended. He said it was vital jumps racing remained in Victoria, especially at Warrnambool. 'We love going to Group 1s but you come here to Warrnambool and you meet real racing people,' Bond said. 'You can walk around and talk to anyone, it's just fabulous. 'That's why jumps racing is so important to Warrnambool.'
