Sports commentator Norman May’s famous “gold, gold, gold” phrase might be about to make a comeback.
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While his line was best used to describe international successes in the pool, it could easily be used to describe triumphs on the race track this week.
Prince Of Penzance’s victory in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup was not only gold for Ballarat trainer Darren Weir and jockey Michelle Payne but for the south-west.
Weir has had satellite stables in Warrnambool for years and Prince Of Penzance has spent morning after morning at the region’s beaches preparing for the race that stopped the nation.
Winslow’s Ciaron Maher, who has expanded his training base to Caulfield, then won Thursday’s feature, the Oaks, with a horse owned and bred here.
Warrnambool and the south-west was in the national spotlight. In publicity terms, it was gold and free advertising.
Tourism and economic benefits await.
The trainers’ successes have been built around beach work.
That edge is set to become highly sought after by rivals.
One leading Melbourne trainer is well down the path to setting up an operation here and we understand more are looking to do the same.
It’s good news for Warrnambool and the south-west.
The horse racing industry is big business and already a significant contributor to the region’s economy.
More investment in property and our workforce can only be positive.
But are we ready for more training operations?
As Weir found out earlier this year when he tried to expand one of his Warrnambool stables, not everyone thought it was a good idea, especially the neighbours.
The message from the state planning umpire was clear, we welcome stables but only in the appropriate location.
Weir, through his stable foreman Jarrod McLean and Maher, have given the region a golden opportunity to establish itself as an equine capital.
It was a vision identified and advocated by Warrnambool City Council in 2001 and now it is bearing considerable fruit.
The gift horse seems to have ridden into town.