The cup carnival is here: Cranbourne trainer Ken Keys captured the first country cup of the Spring Racing Carnival when Blue Collar Jack beat Octrivia to win the Cranbourne Cup on Sunday.– Brad Kingsbury
CRANBOURNE trainer Ken Keys won the $156,000 Cranbourne Cup after his honest galloper Blue Collar Jack weaved its way through a classy field to snatch victory in the last stride of Sunday’s feature race.
Keys was almost speechless after his five-year-old gelding, ridden perfectly by Chris Symons, nosed out Octrivia, which almost stole the race after leading, with Lee Freedman’s desperately unlucky Professional Lady a half head away in third place.
Keys has been training out of Cranbourne for more than two decades and was swamped with congratulations by fellow home track mentors including Robbie Laing, Jean Purcell and Doug Harrison afterwards.
“I’ve been in Cranbourne for 22 years and tried a couple of other times,” Keys said in the post-race euphoria.
“I didn’t think it was that important, but it is.”
The meeting attracted leading racing identities including trainers David Hayes, Matt Ellerton and Freedman, together with jockeys Damien Oliver, Glen Boss, Craig Williams and Berwick hoop Noel Callow.
A crowd estimated at just under 8500 attended the Cranbourne Turf Club’s first Sunday cup meeting.
