VETERAN Crossley trainer Quinton Scott and local apprentice jockey Melissa Julius will be named as the ambassadors for the up-coming Warrnambool May Racing Carnival at a launch for the three-day event later this month.
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Scott holds the remarkable record of having at least one runner at the May Carnival every year since 1973. The popular trainer – who won the Brierly-Grand Annual Steeplechase double with Rocky Affair in 1984 still has ten horses in work.
He has also trained the May carnival’s feature sprint race winner on two occasions. Toroa won the 1200 metres race in 1978 and Prince Of Brandy was successful in 1984.
Julius, 26, is the grand-daughter of long serving Warrnambool Racing Club clerk of the course Leo Dwyer.
She is apprentice to Warrnambool trainer Symon Wilde and has booted home 69 winners from 638 winners since her first ride at Penshurst on Boxing Day in 2015.
Her hard-work and efforts in the saddle were rewarded when she was selected under the Racing Victoria Jockeys Training Program to visit England 12 months ago, for three weeks to ride trackwork for world-renowned trainer Luca Cumani at Newmarket.
Club chief executive officer Peter Downs said more than $1.5 million in stakemoney would be on offer this year.
The Grand Annual Steeplechase has had a $50,000 lift to $350,000 while the Brierly Steeplechase and Galleywood Hurdle are $150,000 races.
Both races were worth $125,000 in 2017. The carnival launch date of March 29 coincides with a race meeting that day.
The club is hoping to entice four-time Group 1-winning jockey Clare Lindop, who grew up in the area and started her career here, will make a farewell visit to the carnival. Lindop, who is retiring from race riding in the middle of May, started her career at the 1995 May carnival.