The festive period kicked off early at Benalla Racing Club, with the Living Here Christmas Party Race Day getting punters into the spirit with a brilliant day out trackside on Saturday.
Eight races were scheduled for the meet, and the Bet365 Maiden Plate over 1400m ensured proceedings got off to a riveting start.
Magicholler, trained by Wodonga-based David O’Prey, was in eighth place with 400m to go, but went wide and followed the Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained Oh So Thrilling down the straight, with the two horses pulling clear and crossing the line for a photo finish.
It would be Magicholler that claimed the win by the barest of margins, officially 0.02 lengths, in a scintillating run.
Things were a little more straightforward for Under The Hat in race two, trained by Mansfield’s Gerald Egan, as jockey Brittany Button took the horse back to the rail entering the straight, where the four-year-old mare unleashed a powerful finish to win by three lengths.
Artful Lodger passed the post first for trainer Adrian McGregor in race three over 1100m, holding off a strong challenge from Schimmelbusch to clinch the win, before Pahi Lass ensured Kiwi trainer Andrew Forsman celebrated victory in race four, winning by a nose in a tight finish.
The most popular victory however came about in race five, with local trainer Michael Gibson celebrating with Apollo Sun in the Living Here BM52 Handicap over the mile.
Sitting fourth with 400m to go, jockey Joe Bowditch urged the six-year-old gelding down the straight, neck and neck with Warlist the entire way, before managing to edge ahead in the final 100 metres to win by half-a-length in a thriller.
Wangaratta trainer Craig Weeding triumphed in race six with Maid In Dubai, ridden by Jake Duffy, while Bendigo’s Stacey Kilpatrick had a winner in race seven through Alternate, with Milos Bunjevac producing a masterful ride to win by five-and-a-half lengths.
The final race on the card saw Turnaquid get up for Wangaratta trainer Andrew Dale, with the five-year-old mare relegating Sports Choice into second after the pair flew home down the straight, separated by a head.
The Christmas Party Race Day marked the final meet at Benalla Racing Club for the year, with the Kids’ Day Out on January 19 the next chance to witness the action trackside.