Race seven winner At The Oasis, ridden by Lincoln Coffey, storms away from Hey Rosie and Edge Of Glory.
By Glen Atwell
MELBOURNE Racing Club’s much discussed all-city maiden meeting on Saturday was a fizzer with leading Melbourne trainers Lee Freedman and David Hayes dominating.
However, Melbourne Racing Club officials declared the event a resounding success and said it was here to stay.
Freedman and Hayes prepared two winners each on the eight-race card, while city-based counterparts Matthew Ellerton, Heath Connors and Tom Hughes also led in winners.
The only country trainer to score victory on the day was Warrnambool mentor Aaron Purcell, who prepared race four winner Shades Of Dane.
Freedman and Hayes criticised the decision to exclude city winners from the meeting last week.
High-profile horse racing tipsters Greg Miles and Deane Lester agreed with the two top trainers during their Saturday morning radio segment on Sport 927, saying Saturday’s racing should be reserved for the best-performed horses.
Melbourne Racing Club media officer Keith Hillier said the raceday was a great success.
“The proof is in the statistics,” he said.
“Starters increased by 52 per cent on the corresponding meeting last year, and off-course turnover increased by 22 per cent, so we’re more than happy.”
Hillier said the success of the notoriously unpopular meeting could have a run-on effect.
“That was part of the exercise – to generate more interest in a meeting that was usually quiet,” he said.
There was also a chance the non-metro winning fields could become an annual, or even bi-annual event.
“We’ll definitely look at it again and possibly have one in December as well,” Hillier said.
