The award recognises an individual event that has performed the best against the following criteria — event marketing plan, attendance (growth in attendance), pre-packaged hospitality sales including sales process, sponsorship, delivery of “a great day out” experience to race goers, customer service including security, catering, alcohol management and customer facilities, local community involvement and financial outcome of the event.

Other finalists in the award, which will be announced at the Country Racing Victoria awards night on August 27, are the Burrumbeet Cup meeting on New Year’s Day, the Hanging Rock Cup meeting, also on New Year’s Day, the Stawell Cup on Easter Sunday and the Mildura meeting on Melbourne Cup Day.

Warrnambool Racing Club CEO John Green said the club was delighted it had been nominated for the award.

“The club had a successful 2010-2011 season,” Green said.

“It’s just great to be nominated... we’ve got our fingers crossed we might come home with the award.

“One of the main pluses for us during the last racing season was we took over the running of the bars at our meetings.

“We’re facing a top lot of competition to win the award. They are all worthy nominations but if I was forced to make a selection I would say the Stawell Cup meeting on Easter Sunday would be hard to beat.”

The winning club will receive an award of $10,000 in capital and Green already has the money spent if the club is successful.

“If we were lucky enough to win the award we would put the $10,000 back into improvements at the club.

“We’re continually looking at ways where we can develop our facilities for our patrons.

“The $10,000 would be very handy as we’ve got some other projects on the drawing boards which we would love to do.”

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LIAM O’Keeffe, the Warrnambool Racing Club’s racecourse manager, was awarded the Australian Racecourse Managers Association (ARMA) scholarship at the racecourse manager’s conference last week.

The scholarship is for the study of all aspects of racecourse management operations at the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses plus at the Singapore Turf Club Kranji racecourse over a two week period.

O’Keeffe, 25, will head to Singapore on December 5 before going to Hong Kong where he will take in the International Race Series from December 11.

The former Warrnambool Emmanuel College student said he was excited that he had won the scholarship.

“It’s a big thrill to have won the scholarship,” O’Keeffe said.

“It gives me a chance to go over to Singapore and Hong Kong and see how they prepare there tracks for race meetings and how they manage things over there.

“I’m very appreciative of what the Warrnambool Racing Club has done for my career.

“Club CEO John Green, the committee at the racing club and all the staff have been very supportive to me.”

O’Keeffe, who started his career at the WRC seven years ago as an apprentice groundsman, said he was hoping to implement some of the things he learned in Singapore and Hong Kong into racing in Warrnambool.

“I’m sure I will learn some things while I’m overseas which will make things easier for us back here,” he said.

“The couple of weeks away should be a great learning curve for me and for my career. I’m really looking forward to making the trip.”

WRC CEO John Green said O’Keeffe’s effort to win the scholarship was well deserved.

“Liam was runner-up last year,” Green said.

“He’s gone one better this year to win the main scholarship.

“It’s a great effort to reward all the hard work which Liam has put in.

“The scholarship is a significant award to win. We (the racing club) are delighted that he’s won the award.

“The award win is a vote of confidence for what he has done.”

O’Keeffe spent last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington working with Victoria Racing Club racecourse manager Mick Goodie after being runner-up in last year’s scholarship.

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WITH just two races left in the 2011 Jim Houlahan Jumps Championship champion jumps jockey Steven Pateman holds an unbeatable lead.

The championship will finish this Sunday at Sandown after the running of the $200,000 Grand National Steeplechase (4500 metres) and the $100,000 Jim Houlahan Hurdle (3400 metres) at Sandown.

The championship, which was first introduced in 2006, showcases the 14 premier jumps races in Victoria and South Australia, celebrates the performances of horse, trainer and jockey who accumulate the most points in the races which each carry a minimum $100,000 in stake money.

Points range from 12 for a win down to two for a fifth placing.

Pateman has amassed 82 points in the championship.

Gavin Bedggood is in second place with 50 points, while Aaron Lynch has 44 points.

Cranbourne jumps trainer Eric Musgrove has a handy lead in the trainer section of the championship.

Musgrove has 70 points. Robbie Laing has picked up 58 points, with John Wheeler in third place with 44 points.

Veteran jumper Famous Prince holds a slender lead in the horse section. He has 40 points.

Vindicating is in second spot with 36 points. Pay The Aces has amassed 28 points, while Petushki is in fourth place with 26 points.

Champion jumper Black and Bent is in fifth spot with 24 points.

The series is named in honour of Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee Jim Houlahan who is considered the doyen of Australian jumps racing.

Houlahan trained the winners of eight Australian Hurdles and seven Grand National Hurdles and was highly respected by his fellow trainers, jockeys, the media and racing administrators.

He retired from training in 2005 — at the tender age of 92 — and passed away on April 4, 2007.

***

NUMEROUS Western District trainers made purchases of tried horses at the Inglis August Thoroughbred Sale last week.

Warrnambool trainer Aaron Purcell opened up the chequebook to buy Shysta and Take The Cash.

Primmer Racing purchased Quechua and Relentless Lad. Warrnambool trainer Matthew Williams secured Toronto Star for his stable, while Patrick McKenna took home Johadisia and Paul Graesser purchased Stormilla.

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WARRNAMBOOL-BASED jockey Jason Lyon was outed by stewards at Geelong on Sunday after his ride on Our Final Snip.

Lyon pleaded guilty to a careless riding charge. The charge related to an incident over the concluding stages which saw his ride shift in when not sufficiently clear of Frenchkook, resulting in that horse having to check and avoid heels.

Lyon’s suspension starts at midnight tonight and expires at midnight on August 30.

Stewards took into account Lyon’s guilty plea, his good riding record and that the incident was in the low range before handing down its penalty.

***

FORMER Colac apprentice jockey Ryan Maloney felt the wrath of stewards at Geelong last Friday when he weighed in more than a half a kilogram above his riding weight.

Maloney, who rode 22 winners in the 2010-2011 racing season in the Western District, was fined $600 by stewards for his misdemeanour.

Stewards informed the talented hoop that he has a bad record in this area and a re-offence may incur a suspension.

***

WHO TO FOLLOW

CONI BAY: super run at her debut when she ran fifth in a three-year-old race at Belmont on Saturday. Coni Bay appeared to run into a bit of trouble in the 1200-metre race. She was a 41/1 chance when she ran on Saturday. Next time you will have to take shorter odds but she will be hard to beat.

ISHANT: he made good ground over the concluding stages to run third behind Philda in a 1523-metre race at Moonee Valley on Saturday. Ishant is in the strong Moody stable. Moody will place him in a suitable race over the next few weeks.

KERRIN McEVOY: showed his class with a winning double at Warwick Farm on Saturday. McEvoy has first pick of the rides from the powerful Snowden stable and they will combine with plenty of winners over the next few months — whether it is in Melbourne or Sydney.