Panmure resident Brian Salmon celebrated with connections in the Warrnambool grandstand as the Darren Weir-trained runner saluted in the 3200-metre race on Tuesday.

He then spent time basking in the success before driving home to milk 650 cows on his property.

Salmon, a former star cricketer, was the only south-west person with links to Renew – a former star on the flat who is making a mark over jumps.

Renew won the feature with versatile jockey John Allen onboard.

“I own 10 per cent. I am the only local amongst it,” Salmon said.

“They are all Sydney and Melbourne owners.

“Watching it with the rest of the owners – it was amazing. 

“We’d never met each other before but it brings people together, feature races like this.

“This is a very prestigious race and it’s one if you’re a local that you definitely want to win it.

“The horse can retire now and we’d all be very happy.”

Salmon got into horse ownership 15 years ago with Cats Fun – a horse which had strong south-west connections – the pick of his investments.

He said Renew was another he expected would give him plenty to cheer about.

“I was looking for a jumper. I have been in it for about 18 months when it was being trained by Archie Alexander at Ballarat,” he said.

“We knew it was going jumping in the end because it had about finished on the flat. He’s been a brilliant horse – it’s won the Sandown Cup, it’s been in the Caulfield Cup, Sydney Cup, Adelaide Cup it just got beaten in.

“It was always going jumping but we never expected it to be as good as it is. It’s going to be a star.

“Nothing will ever take the place of Cats Fun’s victory in the Brierly because it was a local victory but Renew was something special.”

Salmon said Renew, which won from Honey Steel’s Gold and Urban Explorer, had the traits to be a threat in jumps racing.

“It is the next Black And Bent, which was a brilliant jumper,” he said.

The Galleywood Hurdle win was the Ballarat-based Weir’s seventh – he then won his eighth in the next race – of the carnival.

Irish-born jockey Allen celebrated with a fist pump after securing his fifth win of the carnival via the Galleywood – a race he’s won three times.