Goodwood Zodiac storms home

Goodwood Zodiac won by 30 lengths at Pakenham on Sunday. Picture: RACING VICTORIA

By Hayley Wildes

Sunday’s Jumps Raceday at Pakenham Racecourse certainly didn’t disappoint.

There were local winners and winners from across Australia, all of whom showcased the very best of jumps racing.

The first race of the day, the Maiden Hurdle, was won by the Gai Waterhouse-trained horse, Goodwood Zodiac. Truly, to say Goodwood Zodiac won the race would be an understatement; he absolutely obliterated the field in one of the more stunning race wins in recent memory.

The six-year-old Gelding stormed home by a massive 30 lengths to win the first race of the day and Pakenham Racing Club CEO Michael Hodge believes the horse is in for a big season ahead.

“He’s obviously a very talented hurdler who will go onto much bigger and better things as he ventures onto Warrnambool and the feature jumps races that will continue on from here,” Hodge said.

“Gai is a great supporter of jumps racing and is well-known for it – it’s great to have somebody of Gai’s calibre engaging in jumps racing.”

Whilst Waterhouse won the first race, it was local owner Pearse Morgan who stole the show, with his horses winning the first three races of the day.

The Morgan-owned and local Eric Musgrove-trained, Mr One Eleven claimed the second race of the day by just over a length and Hodge spoke about the importance of having locals connected to races at Pakenham.

“It’s always great to get some local trainers and owners involved,” he said.

“Pearse has been a great supporter of Pakenham and the Victorian racing industry for a very long time – he’s got a real passion for jumps racing.”

The MJ Bourke Hurdle is a race steeped in tradition and Sunday’s edition was another thriller, with Lucques getting home just ahead of the highly-favoured Big Blue.

“The MJ Bourke Hurdle, we’ve been running that since the 1950s in acknowledgement of Michael Bourke,” Hodge explained.

“He was one of the founding fathers of the old Pakenham Racecourse and with his brother Hugh, donated the land that the old Pakenham Racecourse was built upon.

“He was a great jumps man and we’ve been running a race in his honour since his passing in the mid-1950s – it’s an important part of the fabric of the Pakenham Racing Club community and also its history.”

Racing returns to Pakenham over the upcoming holiday period, with two massive nights of racing; the Easter eve family night out on 18 April and the ANZAC Day eve race night on 24 April. Both events will be great nights of racing at the Pakenham Racecourse.