By DAVID NAGEL
PAKENHAM Cup broadcaster Terry Bailey might not have known it at the time, but when he uttered the following words he nearly lifted the roof off the new grandstand at Racing.com Park on Sunday.
“Here comes The Wingman on the outside and Kareeming with runs,” Bailey roared as the field raced past the 300-metre mark and headed for home.
A win by The Wingman, owned by a group of popular Pakenham locals, would have rivalled the 1943 win of Dark Felt, in the Melbourne Cup, as the biggest racing story to have ever come out of this town.
Sure, the races are poles apart in significance to the racing industry, but The Wingman, just like the Ray ‘Darby’ Webster-trained Dark Felt before him, has captured the imagination of a town steeped in racing tradition.
The Wingman was gallant in defeat, finishing fifth, after a horror preparation that saw him non-competitive in four runs this time in.
Spokesman for the owners, Chris Webster, said the group was proud of the nine-year-old Montjeu gelding who nearly gave their owners their ultimate thrill in the sport.
“We love the horse,” Webster said.
“When he broke down on the eve of the cup last year, on the Tuesday before the race, it broke our hearts and we still hurt over it today. We had a leading contender in the final cup at the old track at Pakenham and let me tell you, that would have been a dream-come true.
“To come out and run a highly-competitive race today means a hell of a lot to the whole group.”
Webster said the ownership group was still hopeful of a good run despite the barren campaign.
“His form read duck-egg, duck-egg, duck-egg, duck-egg, but Robert Smerdon has had tremendous faith in him the whole way through the preparation,” he said.
“Our target was always the Pakenham Cup and it was nearly a dream come true because he really dug in and gave it his best shot, and that’s why we love him.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t bring home the bacon.”
