Triple treat for locals

By Brad Kingsbury
PAKENHAM racecourse was the place to be on New Year’s Day as a large, happy and boisterous crowd of picnic racegoers ignored the forecast of showers to watch a great start to 2009, highlighted by local wins in three of the six races.
Among the racing highlights were wins by Pakenham trainers Tom Scanlon and Peter Cook, and an emotional victory by champion amateur rider Adam Bodey in the Trevor Lineham Sprint Trophy, a race Bodey had set his sights on for the past three years.
There were also plenty of attractions off the track, with children’s activities and a well-supported fashions on the field competition, won by local lass Karen Murphy.
The Pakenham Picnic Cup feature race was won by the well-supported Purge, ridden by Shane McGovern for Bairnsdale trainer Rodney Hammond. But, it was the win of Scanlon’s 10-year-old gelding Distraction, with veteran Ray Douglas aboard, in the David Bourke Open Trophy race that drew the biggest cheer from the crowd.
It was the former top horse’s second win in the feature – he also won on New Year’s Day in 2007 –- and Scanlon was thrilled.
“He was set for this race but when he won over 1000 metres for the first time in his career at Woolamai (on 20 December) I wasn’t sure about starting him,” he said. “We decided to push on and I’m so pleased we did. It’s a great thrill for the whole family.”
Cook was the first local trainer to taste success when his lightly raced mare Hussonetta, ridden by Paul Koumis, saluted with something to spare in the second race
“She was with Colin Alderson but he thought she wouldn’t be much good so she came over to me to work for the picnics. I’ve had her since she was a two-year-old,” Cook said. “She’s won two races now and if I could find a lower-class 1400 (metres race) in the professionals she may be a chance the way she won today.” Cook has been training in Pakenham for 25 years and had his first win in 1984. He said he had always aimed to prepare at least one runner for the New Year’s Day meeting at his home track.
Cook has two horses in work and both ran at the meeting; his other runner, Divine Providence, finished third in the fourth race.
Bodey’s win in the third was a triumph for both jockey and Woolamai trainer Anthony Bolden. The race was dedicated to the memory of Bodey’s close friend and picnic racing stalwart Trevor (Dixon) Lineham, who died of cancer in May 2005. Bodey only had to sit and steer as $1.90 favourite Bramble Blitz won by almost six lengths in the five-horse field.
“I got a big thrill out of winning this race,” Bodey said in his acceptance speech. “Trevor was a great friend and a great supporter of mine for many years. I wanted to win this race in his honour.’’
It was the five-year-old former Hong Kong horse’s first start for nearly two years after two suspensory ligament injuries, and Bolden showed skill and patience in nursing Bramble Blitz back to the winner’s circle.
Other winners were Miss Black ’N’ Tan for Bairnsdale trainer David Ferguson in race one and Sheza Ranga for Allison Sheehan from Cranbourne in the final race.
On behalf of the committee of the Pakenham Picnic Racing Club, president Gavan Bourke thanked the volunteers who helped to staff the meeting, including regular Pakenham raceday staff and members of St Patrick’s Parish, who also helped make the day a success.
“It was a pretty good crowd considering the overcast weather and I think it was a successful day all round,” Bourke said. “It’s good to have a day like this to start the new year and it’s good to see so many people enjoying themselves at the races.”