By David Nagel
The Pakenham Racing Club played host to one of the signature days on its racing calendar on Sunday with the running of the Ecycle Solutions Super Jumps Raceday.
The feature event on the eight-race card was the time-honoured $50,000 MJ Bourke Hurdle (3200m), the club’s premier hurdle race of the season first run in 1957.
The race is named in honour of Michael Joseph Bourke, who with his brother Hugh originally provided, and later sold to the Pakenham Race Club, the land on which the original course on Racecourse Road was built.
In 1926, Michael Bourke was instrumental in the reconstruction of the racecourse, as well as providing the necessary finance. He was the secretary of the Pakenham Racing Club from 1926 until ill health forced his retirement in 1949, at which time his son, David Bourke, took over the position of secretary at age 18.
The Bourke family has had long ties with racing and Pakenham, and it is this legacy that has played a pivotal role in the club’s efforts to thrive and head into the future.
The PRC also remembered another club great with the running of the $50,000 Jeff Spencer Memorial Steeplechase (3200m).
The hybrid race-day featured five races on turf – over the flights – before switching to the synthetic for three 0-58 Handicaps to round out the card.
The MJ Bourke Hurdle may provide an important stepping stone for the Aaron Purcell-trained Instigator, who trounced his rivals by seven lengths to record just his second win at start 32.
The former German galloper transferred to the Purcell yard after having his last start in his homeland at Hamburg in July,2018. Instigator showed staying potential and ran in the classic The Andrew Ramsden of 2019, fought out by future Melbourne Cup contenders in Steel Prince and Surprise Bay.
Instigator had his first start over the jumps in July last year, and has now had four starts over the flights for two wins and two second-placed finishes.
Mornington trainer Rachael Frost has not taken long to get the best out of a new acquisition to her yard with her eight-year-old gelding Napoleon winning the Jeff Spencer Steeplechase.
The former New Zealand galloper only had his first start for Frost on March 7 this year, over an unsuitable trip of 1600 metres. Frost then stretched Napoleon out to 2600-metres at Werribee in preparation for the two-mile assignment at Pakenham.
Napoleon, who gave jockey Will Gordon a winning double, has previously raced over 6400 metres so expect Frost to continue to look for further ground.
Pakenham trainer Jason Bridgman had a night to remember at Cranbourne on Friday night with his six-year-old gelding Moski taking out the lucrative $25,000 Victorian Picnic Grand Final (1600m).
Moski, who started life as a sprinter, trounced his rivals over the Cranbourne mile to remain undefeated at his last three outings. The son of Uncle Mo/Gonski Girl won at Balnarring over the 1200 and 1050-metre trips before stepping out the mile on Friday.
Jockey Jack Virgona gave Moski a perfect run in transit, with the pair racing away to win by three lengths, giving the $3.80 shot the biggest pay cheque of his 37-start career.
And Phillip Stokes rounded out a great night for Pakenham trainers at Cranbourne when his promising three-year-old Turquoise Hope improved his record to three wins from eight starts by claiming the last race on the card.
Turquoise Hope, who had wins at Ararat and Benalla in December last year, relished his first step up to 1300 metres to score by just over a length on the line.
Racing returns to Pakenham this Thursday night, April 22.
