Warrnambool export David Barham continued his good run of luck with a win in the opening race of the TAB Warrnambool May Racing Carnival on Wednesday, May 1, with Cotton Tree in a three-year-old maiden plate (1700m).
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Barham, son of former Warrnambool mayor Bob, spent his formative years in Warrnambool before getting a job with BTV6 in Ballarat.
He's now chairman of the Essendon Football Club and a strong start to the AFL season was backed up by Cotton Tree.
The Mick Price/Michael Kent Jr trained three-year-old gelding swept to the front rounding the home turn and held on to score an impressive win.
"I grew up here, my family was from here," Barham said.
"I lived here from age 11 until 19 and then I got a job as a junior production trainee at Ballarat TV station.
"TV is like Survivor, I just hung around long enough and got other jobs. "
Barham said he had previously had one winner at Warrnambool, although he had been coming to the carnival for 40 years.
"It's great to have a winner," he said.
"Mick saw him at the National Magic Million Sales and he had been passed in. He had a good bone structure. I think they thought they would go to $25,000 but we got him for $16,000.
"He's turned out to be a nice horse. He carries his head high but he pushed through the line, so hopefully he can go a bit further and win a few more races."