Ardlethan Picnic Races overcome jockey struggles

The heat was on at the Ardlethan Picnic Races on Saturday and trainer, Connie Greig, was on fire with a trifecta in the Cup.

The brilliant team of Greig and jockey Leandro Ribeiro saw Valadyum cross the line of the 1600m Nutrien Ag Solutions Ardlethan Picnic Race Cup, half a length in front of Inzagh ridden by Breanna Bourke, and Merdeka, ridden by Sally Faulks, both also trained by Connie Greig.

Connie also won the Trainer’s Bonus and Leandro won the Jockey Bonus Points, the Cup and the Samara Johnson Memorial Trophy.

This is the second consecutive year Leandro has won the Cup. Peter Clancy, the son of Peter Clancy, Life Member of APRC, won the first race of the day as a trainer with Wee Juggler, ridden by Breanna Bourke.

Ardlethan Picnic Races Club president, Jack Stewart, was happy with how the day went, despite the challenging hot weather and the different rulings that that brought into play for the event.

This year they had extra water and taps at the stalls and iced water for the horses. He said the feedback from trainers and owners was all positive for the running of the day, with 39 horses for the six races.

Unfortunately some horses had to be scratched due to a lack of jockeys. APRC secretary, Lou Cremson, said they had never been so light on jockeys with only five for the day.

They usually had at least seven, but it was a problem across the industry and had been ongoing for a couple of years.

She was very pleased with the large representation of horses that entered however and happily surprised at the numbers of people who attended the day, with an estimate of more than 1500.

“Considering the weather we were pretty lucky,” she said.

The heat saw a couple of people treated by the ambulance, which meant the races were delayed temporarily until the ambulance could get back on the track.

Everything else ran smoothly with more young people involved as volunteers and a new vice-president, Matthew Notley, helping ease the work of the committee, according to the president, Jack.

“He did a lot of work with sponsors and a lot of the running around,” Jack said. “It made it easier for us.”

Fashions on the Field drew a good line-up in the various sections including Lady of the Day, Couple of the Day, Belle of Mirrool, Best Millinery of the Day and Best Gentleman of the Day.

The day is huge for the committee and volunteers, with everything having to be taken to the site and set up, then cleaned up the next day.

Lou said local groups ran the barbecue and raised funds, while the committee made sure APRC bought everything locally to support sponsors and local business.

The money raised on the day goes into sponsorship shortfall and towards next year’s races. Lou and Jack said they were looking forward to next year’s races, although with the land up for sale, the future was a bit uncertain.

“The O’Brien family has been great and we are very grateful for the years we have been able to use it,” Lou said.

The races will keep going however, even if they need to negotiate for land on another property if the eventual new owners don’t want to carry on the lease.

Celebrations continued at the course until the bar closed at 7pm then moved to The London for a night of fun and entertainment.

Race winners.

• Race one: Wally Halden Memorial Maiden Plate 1200m

1. Wee Juggler, trainer Peter Clancy, jockey Breanna Bourke
2. Boogie on Down, trainer Michael Travers, jockey Leandro Ribeiro
3. Horsenado, trainer Debbie Prest, jockey Emily Waters.

• Race two: Jack and Olive Stewart Memorial Class 3 Trophy Handicap 1200m

1. Her Call, trainer Peter Kirby, jockey Emily Waters
2. Get Up Alby, trainer Connie Greig, jockey Leandro Ribeiro
3. Eillod, trainer Russell Steiner, jockey Breanna Bourke.

• Race three: FG Collis Memorial Class B Handicap 1400m

1. Rock ‘N’ Tori, trainer Lauren Davis, jockey Tim Grace
2. Gifted Curves, trainer Garry Rolfe, jockey Sally Faulkes
3. Here Comes Chum, trainer Mont Waters, jockey Emily Waters.

• Race 4: Elders Class 1 Trophy Handicap 1600m

1. Cheeky Nugget, trainer Connie Greig, jockey Leandro Ribeiro
2. Reckless Bay, trainer Andrew Dale, jockey Tim Grace
3. Thetis, trainer Peter Kirby, jockey Sally Faulks.

• Race five: Nutrien Ag Solutions Ardlethan Picnic Race Cup 1600m

1. Valadyum, trainer Connie Greig, jockey Leandro Ribeiro
2. Inzagh, trainer Connie Greig, jockey Breanna Bourke
3. Merdeka, trainer Connie Greig, jockey Sally Faulks.

• Race six: Delta Ag Trophy Handicap 1000m

1. Benyatta, trainer Connie Greig, jockey Leandro Ribeiro
2. Bizzaro, trainer Debbie Prest, jockey Sally Faulks
3. Big Arjay, trainer Debbie Prest, jockey Emily Waters. 

This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 23 March 2023.