Melbourne Cup Carnival: Warrnambool’s Matthew Williams wins Country Final at Flemington
Warrnambool trainer Matthew Williams has more spring riches in his sights with Toregene taking out the $500,000 Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final.
Warrnambool trainer Matthew Williams has more spring riches in his sights with up and coming mare Toregene, who took out the $500,000 Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) at Flemington on Thursday.
The four-year-old mare won her fourth race from five starts on one of the nation’s biggest racing days with the Oaks Day victory a great training performance given Toregene was a late scratching in her lead-up race at Bendigo due to a barrier mishap.
TOREGENE!
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 3, 2022
The daughter of Mongolian Khan takes out the $500k Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final for @mwracing3638 & @Yendall21 ðŸ‘@OTIRacingpic.twitter.com/JGDa4W1j7r
Williams has a Group Three mares race at Caulfield in late November circled for Toregene, who started a $4.80 favourite and was ridden to victory by country-based jockey Dean Yendall.
Toregene was too strong over the final 200 metres to beat Bookman by more than a length.
Williams said there was plenty of upside in the lightly raced mare.
“She got a little bit keen mid-race,” he said.
“She is pretty tough and toughed the race out pretty good in the end.
“It’s a very good result.
“She isn’t quite the furnished product yet, but she has definitely got ability and is on the right path.
“There are some very happy owners and a happy trainer.”
Toregene booked her place in the Flemington final by winning the Cranbourne heat of the series a month ago.
After being a late scratching at Bendigo, Williams was able to give Toregene a strong workout at Colac last Friday to ensure she was in peak order for the Flemington final.
Yendall kept the ride on Toregene after winning the Cranbourne heat.
“She is a big strong mare,” he said.
“At Cranbourne I was in all sorts of trouble trying to get her to relax underneath me.
“I was pretty lucky the speed was pretty genuine and we were in the race where we needed to be.
“It’s a big thrill.”
Williams’ other runner in the final, Mi Rock Aly, finished fifth, beaten 2.05 lengths.
LEAD-UP COVERAGE
The best of the bush is making tracks to the city as the Melbourne Cup racing carnival heats up.
Country trainers will converge on Flemington on Oaks Day in pursuit of victory in the richest race for horses from country stables during the carnival.
Heats of the $500,000 Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Final (1600m) have been held at country tracks including Benalla, Murtoa, Sale, Hamilton and Horsham since late September with horses, who finish first or second guaranteed of a start.
Under new race conditions this year, trainers who have had less than 15 Victorian metropolitan winners in the 2021-22 racing season were eligible to enter.
Warranambool’s Matthew Williams has two runners in the race, up-and-coming mare Toregene and Mi Rock Aly.
The country trainers’ race has always been on Mr Williams’ radar, and in 2019 his horse Harbour Views finished second after winning his first five career starts.
“It’s one race for the carnival that opens it up for small to medium-size stables outside the metropolitan area,” Mr Williams said.
“We would class ourselves as a medium-size stable.
“It’s been quite competitive and created some good banter among the trainers eyeing off this race.”
Dean Yendall has been booked to ride Toregene and Craig Williams will be aboard Mi Rocky Aly.
A fitter and turning apprenticeship has been Williams’ only break from a lifetime in racing that began as a teenage trackwork rider and performing other stable duties in the Warrnambool area.
He has held a trainer’s licence for 25 years with his stables loon farmland near the Warrnambool track.
Williams cuts hay on the property, but, like most, he has been held up by the big wet.
“I don’t think we will get on a paddock until Christmas the way things are down here,” he said.
He has 10 full-time staff and other part-timers with about 30 horses in work and others undergoing pre-training before making their race debuts.
“With the facilities we’ve got, we could handle more, but staffing is a big issue,” he said.
“The number we’ve got works well for the staff we’ve got.”
The Oaks Day race will be one of two trips to Flemington this week for Williams who also saddles up Caulfield Guineas day winner Literary Magnate on Tuesday.
The country final prizemoney has remained at $500,000 and Gippsland’s Manny Gelagotis, who in partnership with brother Peter, trained the second placegetter, Typhoon Harmony, last year.
The Big Dance 💃concept proved a boon for Wagga's Cup Carnival back in May and the club is cheering on its Cup winner Aleas in the $2m feature at Royal Randwick on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/PqWPAKgFz6
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) October 31, 2022
Mr Gelagotis said Victoria should be following the lead of NSW and increasing prizemoney for races specifically for country trainers.
He was envious when watching Corowa-trained Front Page win this year’s $2 million The Kosciuszko.
The Gelagotis brothers have had big race success with Levendi and Moss ‘N’ Dale in Sydney where Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’landys has transformed racing in the state.
“From a hospitality point of view and an excitement point of view it was unparalleled with anything I’ve experienced in Victoria,” Mr Gelagotis said.
“Peter V’landys is an A-grade administrator, love or hate the guy.
“But he has created a change in horse racing for the positive.
“More importantly he is investing profits into the core business of horse racing and that is prizemoney.”
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