By Kyle Galley
Popular trainer Jess Tubbs added her name to the honour roll of Warragul Cup-winning trainers – alongside her late father Alan – after the win of A Gs White Socks in the $35,000 Downtowner Warragul Pacing Bowl Cup on Easter Sunday.
Alan Tubbs won the 1992 edition with Sharp Bret.
Over three decades later, his daughter’s winning effort was at the end of a most entertaining edition of the Gippsland feature, despite the race again only drawing a small field of six horses to face the starter.
The Cup win was the second leg of a training double for Tubbs, and a double for reinsman Bailey McDonough, after the pair won with First Dance earlier in the day.
In a tactical battle in the Warragul Cup, driver McDonough settled his charge at the rear of the field as several of his rivals challenged each other for the lead in the 2627-metre event.
With just over 1200 metres to travel McDonough sent A Gs White Socks around the field, with a fast mid-race move, to take the lead, and held off determined challenges from Supreme Dominator and local pacer Bulletproof Boy, the trio hitting the line locked together.
A Gs White Socks bought up career win 16 on Sunday, at start 95, with the nine-year-old becoming one of the oldest horses to win in the long history of the Warragul Cup.
“He’s obviously had a fair bit of ability and a few setbacks in his career, but he’s working back to his career best form and the race worked our perfectly today,” McDonough said after the event.
“Without a doubt it’s going to mean a lot to Jess…I’m just grateful to get the opportunity and to capitalise on it.”
Sunday’s other feature race, the $20,000 Eddie Evison Memorial Trotters Cup was as usual an exciting contest, again over the marathon 2627-metre journey.
Romsey trainer/driver Chris Svanosio produced Brandlo Prince to win from the back mark handicap of 30 metres.
It was the second leg of a race-to-race double for Svanosio, who also won the Trotters Handicap with Lady Adelia, racing for the first time since December last year.
“It’s always tough off 30 metres, you need a few things to go right and he’s not fool proof at the start, but he was really good today,” Svanosio said of Brandlo Prince, now a winner of 15 races for a big syndicate of owners.
Local participants were in the money in the first and last races on Sunday.
Popular Trafalgar horseman Glenn Hunter and his seven-year-old gelding Pershing defied all challenges thrown at them to win the 3GG Pace, while Cranbourne horseman Scott Ewen made up for his unlucky placing in the Warragul Cup when Blazin Heaven took out the last race of the day.
Despite inclement weather, which did impact crowd numbers to some degree, it was still a respectable roll-up to Sunday’s race meeting.
The crowd packed the indoor areas out of the weather, and enjoyed a host of entertainment in addition to the eight-race program.
Warragul trots will return with another meeting on the June public holiday Monday.
