Country racing: Ballarat-trained Crackerjack Prince takes out Avoca Cup

Crowds have flocked back to the Avoca Cup following Covid interruptions and heavy rain last year. See all the pictures here.

Ballarat galloper Crackerjack Prince produced a stunning last to first performance on Saturday to take out the first Avoca Cup race meeting held in front of a crowd since 2019.

The six-year-old gelding trailed the field with 800m to run before taking off on his winning move around his rivals and holding off Lord Dynastic on the line by a head, with Alors Tu Crois 1.7 lengths back in third.

Jockey Will Gordon won the Avoca Cup on Crackerjack Prince. Pictures: Yuri Kouzmin

Crackerjack Prince, the $2.15 favourite, is trained at Ballarat by Archie Alexander and was ridden to victory by Will Gordon, who has also won the Coleraine and Murtoa cups this season.

The Avoca Cup was run without crowds in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid before the meeting was cancelled last year due to rain.

Crackerjack Prince had three runs on city tracks during August and September including a win at Moonee Valley before being freshened for a tilt at the $30,000 Avoca Cup, run over 1860m.

Part-owner Darren Dance from Ballan and jockey Will Gordon after winning the Avoca Cup with Crackerjack Prince.

The gelding has won six races from 22 starts which included a hot streak of three successive victories at Sale, Bendigo and Geelong midway through last year.

Two other country cups were held on Sunday with the Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott training partnership taking out the Horsham Cup with Supagirl, and the Ciaron Maher-David Eustace training combination winning the Seymour Cup with Junipal.

Will Gordon is one busy jockey almost a year on from a serious injury 👊 pic.twitter.com/Sg0in1GYOf

— Racing.com (@Racing) April 20, 2023

Supagirl and runner-up Hasta La Fiorente have booked themselves a spot in the Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Series Final at Flemington on Oaks Day.

The first two placegetters in the Benalla, Murtoa, Cranbourne, Hamilton, Horsham, Geelong, Sale and Bendigo cups are guaranteed a start in the $500,000 race won by Warrnambool’s Toregene last year.

The Geelong Cup will be held on Wednesday and the Sale Cup on Sunday.

Eight-year-old Junipal had not won since taking out the Group 3 Sandown Stakes in November 2020.

Crowds return to the Avoca Cup meeting for the first time since 2019 on Saturday.

Birregurra’s Chris and Jackie Mortime at the Avoca Cup.

Maryborough’s Deanne Evans was successful in the fashions on the field competitions at the Avoca Cup.

Tony Ryeland and wife Amanda Stewart from Berwick won the couple of the day in the fashions on the field at the Avoca Cup.

Warrnambool’s Jodi Leahy and Horsham’s Belinda Nurse dressed to impress at the Avoca Cup.

Dunnstown’s Blue Johanna Dash and Simon Leonard were among the big Avoca Cup crowd.

Ballarat visitors, from left, Megan McCarty, Kelly Hiscock, Katrina Smith, Kate Charleson, Katrina Griffiths and Narelle Lanery enjoyed a big day out at the Avoca Cup.

Ballarat’s Scott Sumner caught the eye with his attire at the Avoca Cup.

Part of the big crowd at the Avoca Cup meeting on Saturday.

Maryborough’s Adrian Masterman with his distinctive floral headpiece at the Avoca Cup.

Avoca’s Claire Hamer was a finalist in the fashions on the field at the cup meeting.

Maryborough’s Nick Weaver took out the men’s fashions on the field competition and Stawell’s Lauren Dempsey was the women’s fashion on the field winner.

Fashions on the field was as equally competitive as the racing action at the Avoca Cup.

Rori Cameron from Ararat took out the millinery award in the Avoca Cup fashions on the field competition.

Crackerjack Prince, outside, pips Lord Dynastic in the $30,000 Avoca Cup.

The men’s fashion on the field contenders at the Avoca Cup.