Racehorse ownership and breeding is about creating and fulfilling dreams and that will come in spades again this Saturday afternoon with the running of the sixth annual Victorian Owners & Breeders Raceday.
Whilst crowds will not be able to attend Caulfield Racecourse, owners and breeders across the state will be captivated to broadcasts as their much-loved animals compete in one of the seven VOBIS premier races to be decided on the day.
The raceday, which this year offers $2.2 million in prize money and bonuses, serves to celebrate the contribution owners and breeders make to the Victorian racing industry and reward those who breed, buy, own and race locally.
For the second year, the headline race will be The Showdown, a joint collaboration between Racing Victoria (RV), Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria (TBV) and stud farms across Victoria that showcases Victorian stallions.
The landmark race, which is exclusive to the two-year-old progeny of VOBIS Sires’ nominated stallions, lived true to the motto of fulfilling dreams in its inaugural year when young Mornington trainer Matt Laurie landed the $1 million race with Prince of Sussex and declared “it’s as exciting a day as I’ve ever had”.
Managing owner Paul Dugan and his large band of part-owners were also celebrating, as was breeder Chris Jackson and Swettenham Stud, whose first season Victorian sire Toronado produced The Showdown winner.
TBV Executive Officer, Charmein Bukovec, said, “The Showdown is the evolution of a plan by TBV and RV to reward owners and support the breeders who have invested considerable time, energy and funds into Victorian racing and breeding.
“The Showdown not only promotes the fantastic array of progressive stallions standing in Victoria each year, it helps in educating owners and trainers about the many benefits of buying VOBIS Sires progeny.
“We’re excited this year to expand the VOBIS Sires program with the running of the first VOBIS Sires Guineas for three-year-olds, alongside the second edition of The Showdown, and I wish all breeders, stud farms and owners the best of luck.”
The Showdown of 2020, which will be run as Race 6 at 3.20pm (AET) for prizemoney and bonuses of $905,000, features a full line-up of 16 two-year-olds and four emergencies who have been assembled from 13 stables across three states.
The acceptors represent the progeny of 10 VOBIS Sires being Darley Northwood stallions Brazen Beau (4 acceptors) and Street Boss (4); ex-Darley sires Night of Thunder (3) and Kuroshio (1); Blue Gum Farm’s Turffontein (2); ex-Three Bridges sire, the late Unencumbered (2); Woodside Park’s Written Tycoon (1); Larneuk Stud’s Cluster (1); Sun Stud’s Fighting Sun (1) and Swettenham’s reigning titleholder Toronado who sired the first emergency, Miss Kansas.
The VOBIS Sires Guineas, which is the final event at 5.15pm (AET), offers prizemoney and bonuses of $452,500 with VRC Oaks placegetter Moonlight Maid the favourite for young Ballarat trainer Mitch Freedman.
The 18 Guineas acceptors represent the progeny of 11 VOBIS Sires including Toronado (3), Written Tycoon (3), Brazen Beau (1) and Street Boss (1) who also boast acceptors in The Showdown. The other Guineas’ Sires are Swettenham’s Puissance de Lune (2); Rosemont Stud’s Toorak Toff (2); Daisy Hill’s Americain (1); Reward For Effort (1); and a trio of stallions from Sun Stud in Fiorente (2), Helmet (1) and Moshe (1).
In addition to The Showdown and VOBIS Sires Guineas, the Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday will host the following five VOBIS Gold premier races:
- Race 2 – Blue Gum Farm VOBIS Gold Distaff (1400m, F&M, 3YO & Up)
- Race 3 – Spendthrift Australia VOBIS Gold Sprint (1200m, 3YO & Up)
- Race 4 – Surewise VOBIS Gold Heath (2000m, 3YO & Up)
- Race 5 – IRT VOBIS Gold Mile (1600m, 3YO & up)
- Race 8 – Avenel Equine Hospital VOBIS Gold Dash (1100m, 3YO)
RV Executive General Manager – Racing, Greg Carpenter, said, “We’re delighted to see three champions from last year’s raceday back for another shot at VOBIS glory this weekend and it would be tremendous training effort if any of them were to prove triumphant once again.
“Mr Quickie and Twitchy Frank are chasing back-to-back wins in the VOBIS Gold Heath and VOBIS Gold Distaff respectively and are short priced favourites to do so, while Iconoclasm is chasing a unique double stepping up to the VOBIS Gold Mile after winning the VOBIS Gold Sprint last year.
“It’s also tremendous to see a variety of stables and stallions represented in both The Showdown and the VOBIS Sires Guineas and I’m sure that the winners of these rich VOBIS Sires races will be wonderful advertisements for breeding and owning Victorian-sired horses.
“The Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday is a very important day on the calendar and I want to take the opportunity to thank all our owners and breeders not only for their ongoing support of the Victorian racing industry, but for their understanding and cooperation during these unprecedented times in which they are unable to attend the raceday due to strict biosecurity protocols.”
The Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday will be broadcast live on Racing.com, Channel 7 and SKY Racing, across the airwaves on RSN and streamed live by various wagering operators with the first race of nine races at 12.15pm (AET).
News from TBV
