VRC NATIONAL JOCKEYS TRUST RACE DAY
This race day was an interesting one, with horses returning from spells, but also well-performed country horses making their way to Flemington. The 1600m TCL TV Handicap caused an upset when the former French galloper, Le Don De Vie came from well back to score in strong style. Le Don De Vie was posted as a 100-1 chance in pre-race markets, but the horse showed that he was far more than just a rank outsider. Trained by the seemingly invincible Ciaron Maher and Dave Eustace, the horse progressed from this day, winning in Group company in Queensland and now is looked upon as a genuine threat in races like the Lexus Melbourne Cup. His form in France was excellent and it seems the horse has now finally acclimatised and reconnected with that ability. In the final race on the day’s program, the Off The Track Community Trophy, the locally trained Zac De Boss raced away, underlining his ability on the often-testing 1200m straight track.
VRC COMMUNITY RACE DAY
By now, the finals for races for 2YO, 3YO, stayers, sprinters and middle-distance performers were beginning to warm up. The feature race on the day was the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series Plate, and on June 4 it was important for horses to qualify themselves for the finals in July. A memorably named New South Welshman was about to add a new dimension to the heats. Looks Like Elvis came to Melbourne as a talented Sydney galloper, but little was known of his ability when pitted against runners in the heat of the VRC-CRV Winter Championship Series. However, despite missing the start by five lengths, Looks Like Elvis came through the field to score a stunning victory under the guidance of Linda Meech. Meech, like everyone at Flemington that day, was stunned at how the gelding, after giving away such a start, went on to score so well. The day also saw a smart filly called, Passive Aggressive, have her first try up the famous Flemington straight. She handled the assignment with relative ease, streaking away from her rivals and stamping herself as a stakes-class horse of the future.
VRC COUNTRY RACE DAY
The Listed A.R. Creswick Stakes was a highlight of VRC Country Race Day, and has historically been a launching pad to Group 1 success with horses such as Nature Strip (2018) and Gytrash (2019) on the race’s honour roll. This year’s race looked to be a race in two and one of the more exciting races to be run of the Flemington Winter Racing Series. Passive Aggressive and Star Patrol, both went into the race with impressive victories on the Flemington straight course under their belt. It was the tough Passive Aggressive however, who managed to draw away and win comprehensively. Star Patrol lost no admirers with his honest second placing. Both are going to be forces to reckon with during the Spring Carnival, with their ability to handle the straight track and fast times a huge advantage heading into the Lexus Melbourne Cup Carnival.