A tale of two cities’ horse racing hopes

Nadia Bartel launches the Flemington carnival at the Melbourne race course’s mounting yards on Tuesday. Picture: Getty Images

Sometimes in sport, it is a matter of who is the last one standing, just ask Steven Bradbury.

In racing’s case, Victorian Premier Dan Andrews’ drawn-out reopening has delivered an advantage for NSW in its fight to usurp Melbourne as the home of the Spring Carnival.

Cast your mind back to this time last year — and Victorian Racing Club chair Amanda ­Elliott and Racing NSW chief Peter V’landys were trading blows on which state had the most prizemoney and who was pulling the most punters.

Fast forward to the official start of Cup Week on Saturday and it is a very different story, with more guests set to step out to Parramatta’s Rosehill racecourse than the famed lawns of Flemington for the $7.5m Golden Eagle Day — Australia’s third-richest race.

V’landys was far more reserved this week, telling this very paper that the intention of feature races in Sydney was to “complement the Melbourne program”. Funny how things can change.

Among the attendees, Margin Call hears Tabcorp’s David Attenborough will be in the stands, marking his last spring racing carnival with the group after almost 10 years, and well away from its spiritual home in Melbourne, but closer to his own home in the Harbour City.

David Attenborough. Picture: Britta Campion

Attenborough’s departure from the wagering group isn’t until the first half of next year, with his replacement yet to be named but speculated as wagering and media boss Adam Rytenskild, while chairman Paula Dwyer is set to hang her hat up in December, to be succeeded by Ampol chair Steven Gregg.

Here’s hoping Attenborough gets the dress code memo, with the usual Derby Day black-and-whites set to be swapped for “a touch of gold” at Rosehill, though Australian Turf Club chief Jamie Barkley will no doubt be on hand to ensure his racing club’s colours are on show.

While TAB’s guests, watched over by government relations whiz Tom Callachor, enjoy the hospitality, Dwyer is victim to the tough stance on borders, likely to take part in a more low-key affair with her compatriots down south. The weekend is a double knock given her seat on the board of Lion — its Iron Jack beer the Golden Eagle naming sponsor.

Still, Lion’s Aussie boss James Brindley will be representing the beverage outfit — fresh from speculation the group could take on Coca-Cola European Partners’ $9.3bn bid and make a long-shot counter-bid for the local Coke bottler.

Also among the 6000-capped crowd — 25 per cent of the usual capacity due to COVID-safe measures — will be former Australian Meat Industry Council chair David Larkin, now the head of agriculture operations for Gina Rinehart’s Hancock, including one of Australia’s largest beef producers, S. Kidman & Co.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and partner state Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres, both western Sydney cheerleaders, are likely to join the mix if their previous attendance is anything to go by. Both joined the fold at the meet last year, even when the prospect of interstate travel was on the table.

Kia chief operating officer Damien Meredith also makes the guest list, swapping the carmaker’s usual tennis alignment to be a guest at the racing meet, while Kerry Stokes’ Seven Network will be represented by a smattering of talent from the likes of Sunrise anchor Sam Armytage, with fiancee horse breeder Richard Lavender, as well as former Olympic swimmer James Magnussen, fresh off Seven’s SAS Australia reality show.

But the racing club isn’t the only one to be cashing in on restrictions to the annual pilgrimage south to the racing mecca, with hospitality king Justin Hemmes putting on his own soiree to rival any birdcage affair. Word is Nine’s Karl Stefanovic passed up the opportunity to punt trackside, preferring to take up Hemmes’ offer instead.

When it comes to the on-track names, billionaire Cotton On founder Nigel Austin is in the mix for the title race at Rosehill with his All Saints Eve, owned jointly with brother-in-law and Richmond Football Club director Anthony Mithen (who is no doubt hoping for another win after the Tigers’ AFL victory this time last week), as well as Mark Chittick’s Waikato Stud and top trainer John O’Shea’s wife, Isabella.

Racing royalty Gai Waterhouse with have her fingers crossed for a trifecta as she makes her appearance as trainer for Just Thinkin’, Riodini and Dawn Passage.

Meanwhile, Albury businessman Allan Endresz is also a contender with Alligator Blood, set to be guarded by a Men in Black-style private security detail to prevent any tampering of the horse. If successful, the prizemoney will be a coup after Endresz was declared bankrupt for the fourth time last month in an ongoing legal battle with the federal government.

As of last night, the Chris Waller-trained wet track specialist Funstar was the firm favourite in the Golden Eagle.

The weekend race meet caps off a week of marketing pivots when it comes to the usual celebrity-studded Spring carnival. Sponsors including champagne house GH Mumm that are usually Melbourne-focused have unveiling a “re-imagined” affair under the Harbour Bridge with model Georgia Fowler.

Head of global marketing for Pernod Ricard Eric Thomson said the brand was mulling a rethink on the usual extravagance of parties at the famed Birdcage, and they’re not the only ones taking their sponsorship displays north.

While key talent including ambassador Nadia Bartel, who recently sold her matrimonial home with footballer husband Jimmy for $3.91m, launched the carnival at a socially distanced display in the Flemington mounting yards on Tuesday, it was a different story at the harbourside Vaucluse House.

Sydney scenesters, including songbird Delta Goodrem, jumped on the chance to take ownership of the cup event, as sponsor Lexus pulled out all the stops to recreate the Flemington vibe. Perhaps just for this once we’ll all be spared the Daily Mail post-races photo galleries … or perhaps not.