The anticipation was palpable as the first Seymour Cup on home turf in four years jumped on Sunday afternoon.
The threat of rain hung over the Seymour Racing Club for most of the day, but that did not stop a bumper 1800-strong crowd from attending the biggest day on the Seymour racing calendar.
Club chief executive Chris Martin described the day as a major success.
“We’re all pumped about the day; everything went smoothly,” Martin said.
“We’ve had really good feedback around the entertainment, the kids’ activities, the corporate meal areas were really good. Great quality food.
“Everything panned out in terms of the off-track part of it really well.
“And then on track, the racing was fantastic. The track raced the best it has since we’ve returned.
“That’s to be expected, too. It’s going to improve for probably another six to 12 months.
“They won out wide, they led and won, and they came from behind.
“The weather was a little bit disappointing, but it also could have gone a lot worse, too. It didn’t rain.”
The club would like to thank all the Station St food vendors who provided racegoers with delicious bites to eat: Smokin’ Joe’s, Gaffney’s Pies, Inari Sushi, Little Stones Café and The Brewer’s Table.
The number of spectators lining the fence for the early races was three or four people deep, let alone for the main race.
The training team of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace had three runners in the Seymour Cup, including the second favourite, Ascension.
It was the least favoured of the trio, however, that sprung a surprise at odds of $12.
Junipal settled in the second half of the field before getting to the outside on the final turn.
The eight-year-old gelding, which suffered a condylar fracture in 2021 and had not won a race since November 2020, surged down the straight.
Ridden by John Allen, the son of Reset claimed the cup by 1.25 lengths, winning $120,000 for connections.
Other notable action on the track included the three-generation Hope family combo of co-trainers Lee and Shannon and jockey Tahlia winning the first race with Vivanti.
Oubitsa, trained by iconic Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne, won race four.
Another local trainer won race six, as Steve Noble watched his daughter, Sam Noble, ride Missed the Mark to a comprehensive victory.
The Racing Club would like to thank the race name sponsors for their support: Seymour RSL, Go Nagambie, Fowles Wine, Go Seymour, Tahbilk Winery, Darley, Mitchelton Wines, bet365 and state Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland.
After the success of cup day, Martin can’t wait for the next meet.
“November 17 is our next meeting. So that’ll sort of drop down a notch or two in terms of attendance and focus,” he said.
“And then the next big day is Thursday, December 21, which is our Christmas party race day.
“Bookings are crazy for that in terms of breakups and so forth. That’s looking to be a big one.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was bigger than cup day.”