Leading Hunter Valley trainer Jason MACKAY began Friday welcoming the news that his region would play host to the world’s richest staying event, and ended it by winning the area’s current feature staying event, the Newcastle Cup with Cool Bourbski.
MACKAY was full of praise for the announcement that LADBROKES GARDENS would next host The 715, a new event which with the winner collecting $500,000 in June next year.
“It’s just unbelievable, it will prove a huge shot in the arm for the industry here in the Hunter. To think The Gardens will stage a race worth $500,000 for first … I mean what can you say,” MACKAY said.
“That’s what it’s all about. Things have never been better.”
Some would argue they did get better for MACKAY, as before sunset on the same day news broke, he had won his third Newcastle Cup, having been successful with ZIPPING Lad in 2011 and ZIPPING Katelyn in 2017.
But it could have been very different, with David Smith’s Ice Cream Story looking set for victory swinging for home, only to go amiss in the straight.
Cool Bourbski, who broke the track record with a stunning 41.40s performance in the heats last week, clocked 41.97s in defeating Nimble Lulu by 1¼ lengths, with Double Bluff a further ¾ lengths away in third.
The win took Cool Bourbski’s record to 16 wins and 18 placings from 64 starts and the $25,000 prizemoney edged her career earnings above the $100,000 mark.
