There was plenty of buzz at Seymour Racing Club on Friday, November 15, with a couple of special guests in attendance to watch all of the action trackside on United Insurance Group Day.
John Symons and Sheila Laxon, trainers of Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice, were on hand to field questions from punters, who had a rare opportunity to hear all about the triumph first hand.
And while Symons and Laxon thrilled with tales of their triumph off track, another duo delighted the crowd with a win on it, as Seymour father/son combination Lee and Shannon Hope had a winner with Royal Lass in race three.
It was a masterful showing from the three-year-old filly, who jumped into the lead and never looked like giving it up over the 1100 metre trip, with jockey Jarrod Fry steering her to the win by two and a quarter lengths.
Master trainer Danny O’Brien also had success, as four-year-old mare Sun Gift prevailed by half a length in race one after storming home, while four-year-old gelding Porter had a much more comfortable victory in race six, leading virtually the whole way to claim the win by nearly two and a half lengths.
Another Melbourne Cup-winning pair in Anthony and Sam Freedman, trainers of 2023 victor Without A Fight, saw three-year-old gelding Super Trooper get up to win race two by one and a half lengths, while in race four, Pakenham-based duo Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman saw Hawkins claim victory by a nose.
Echuca trainer Tim Davies found a winner with Tarakash in race five, the five-year-old mare winning by two lengths over the mile, while Benalla-based Peter Smith was in the winner’s circle with six-year-old gelding Gundaroo claiming race seven by one and a half lengths.
The final race on the card saw five-year-old mare Hybrid Moments hang on by half a length for trainer Patrick Keane, having led for the entire 1000m trip.
Seymour Racing Club has just one meet left on the calendar for the year, with the marquee Christmas Party Race Day on Thursday, December 19, set to be a cracking day at the track.