FINE: Jumps jockey Steven Pateman and John Allen copped fines following their rides on Zed Em and Now And Zen in the Brierly Steeplechase. Stewards fined Pateman and Allen $400 each for using the whip 11 times before the 100-metre mark while Pateman found himself an extra $300 out of pocket for using his whip in consecutive strides.
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INCREASE: Crowd numbers were up 650 people on the first day compared with last year. Club officials said 5950 patrons filed through the Grafton Road gates. The club would be happy with a 6000 crowd number for Wednesday and more than 15,000 on Thursday.
AGAIN: The TAB has installed High Church as the $3.80 favourite for the Warrnambool Cup on Thursday. Darren Weir, who trains High Church is going for his fourth consecutive win in the $200,000 race. The Patrick Payne-trained Slowpoke Rodriguez is the early $3.50 favourite for the Grand Annual.
HOME TRACK: Six of the 10 winners on the opening day were trained in Warrnambool. Three of Darren Weir's four winners were trained from his satellite stable in Warrnambool while Del Piero was successful for local trainer Jarrod McLean. The day was rounded off with Patrick Ryan and Dennis and Robyn Beriman winning races.
OUT: Warrnambool-based jockey Declan Bates was outed on a careless riding charge following his ride on Leila’s Star in the $70,000 two-year-old fillies race. Bates’ suspension for 12 meetings commences at midnight on Thursday night.
VIP: Racing Minister Martin Pakula will be trackside on Thursday. The hot topic from the locals will be the training of horses on beaches after Moyne Shire last week banned race horses from Killarney beach.
