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Sport

23 October, 2023

Avoca Cup makes triumphant return

In a word, the Blue Pyrenees Estate Avoca Cup could be defined as ‘crackerjack’ — both on and off the track. On it, the day belonged to Crackerjack Prince, who took home the prestigious cup in its first running since 2019, with Will Gordon...

By Michael Thompson

Will Gordon comes off the track after his cup win. Photo: 241023 33
Will Gordon comes off the track after his cup win. Photo: 241023 33

In a word, the Blue Pyrenees Estate Avoca Cup could be defined as ‘crackerjack’ — both on and off the track.

On it, the day belonged to Crackerjack Prince, who took home the prestigious cup in its first running since 2019, with Will Gordon onboard, as well as Archie Alexander as the winning trainer.

Crackerjack Prince defied a slow start which saw it settle at the rear of the field, before gradually luring in the pack to eventually find itself winning by a head from outsider Lord Dynastic in a time of 1.54.28, with long time leader Alors Tu Crois holding on for third.

Elsewhere, the racing was hot, with a number of outsiders clinching victory.

In race five, Chappaquiddick, rated a $26 shot to win, held off Helano by a head, while Enigmatise won a thrilling fourth race after being rated a $20 chance by half a head.

The day started with New Zealand horse Walk In The Words taking a strong win by half a length from Hell Follows, while in race two, Over You Pop overran heavy pre-race favourite Debating.

Race three saw the favourite win, with Iliad defeating Famous Strike, while race six saw Mikki Magic defeat Raysim.

In the final race of the day, Saint Ay took a comfortable victory by over a length from Little Richie Turf.

However, while the horses enjoyed the on-track success, it was the Avoca Shire Turf Club that enjoyed all the success off the track, as punters voted with their feet after a long wait for the Cup to return, given the 2020 and 2021 cancellations due to COVID, followed by 2022’s cancellation due to the October floods.

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